"Croatia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q4 2014" is now available at Fast Market Research

Heavy price cuts and margin restrictions within the pharmaceutical supply chain threaten to cause drug shortages and weaken the supply chain within Croatia, with product withdrawals expected and the HZZO brac ed for revolt from pharmacies and wholesalers. We forecast weak pharmaceutical market growth over the next decade, in light of Croatia's acceding to EU pressure to rein in its budget deficit. Liquidity issues and payment terms will remain unfavourable in 2014, but with Croatia's economy remaining in the doldrums, fiscal expansion i n healthcare will be difficult to justify . We therefore expect growth to remain depressed over the next five years.

Headline Expenditure Projections

* Pharmaceuticals: HRK6.95bn (USD1.19bn) in 2013 to HRK6.67bn (USD1.09bn) in 2014; -4.1% in local currency and -8.7% in US dollar terms. Forecast revised upwards from Q314 due to currency forecast revision.
* Healthcare: HRK22.88bn (USD3.92bn) in 2013 to HRK22.24bn (USD3.62bn) in 2014; -2.8% in local currency and -7.5% in US dollar terms. Forecast and historical numbers revised significantly from Q314 forecasts owing to historic changes to World Health Organisation data.

Full Report Details at
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/861837_croatia_pharmaceuticals_healthcare_report_q4_2014.aspx?afid=301

Risk/Reward Rating

Croatia's Risk/Reward Rating remains unchanged from Q314. Despite the country's accession to the EU, market dynamics remain subdued, with weak growth over the long term. Croatia scores 46.7 out of 100 in our Risk/Reward Ratings, making it the 18th most-attractive pharmaceutical market in Central and Eastern Europe.

Key Trends And Developments

* In June 2014 the European Commission called on the Croatian government to strengthen the healthcare sector and increase its cost effectiveness.
* In April 2014 the HZZO revised its primary reimbursement list, including new drugs but also revising the recommended prices downwards. Local drugmakers accused the HZZO of disadvantaging them against foreign companies.
* New margin limits were imposed on pharmacies and wholesalers in March, with...

The Croatia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s forecasts for drugs and healthcare expenditure and imports and exports, focusing on the growth outlook for the prescription, OTC, patented drugs and generics market segments.

BMI's Croatia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report provides industry professionals, strategists, company executives, investors, analysts and sales/marketing heads with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the Croatian pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

Key Benefits

* Benchmark BMI's independent pharmaceutical and healthcare industry forecasts for Croatia to test other views - a key input for successful budgeting and strategic business planning in the Croatian pharmaceutical and healthcare market.

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