The vaccines sector in Greece for 2017 reached 165 million euros in value, while at the same time comprising a significant portion of local pharmacies' turnover.
By G. Sakkas
The vaccines sector in Greece for 2017 reached 165 million euros in value, while at the same time comprising a significant portion of local pharmacies' turnover.
Stepped up ad campaigns for anti-flu and anti- pneumococcus vaccines - beginning in 2016 - combined with concerns over a resurgence in instances of measles in the country, boosted the domestic vaccines market in 2017 by 20 million euros, compared to the previous year.
GSK, MSD, Pfizer and Vianex - the local manufacturer of vaccines patented by Sanofi Pasteur - were the market leaders for vaccine sales in Greece.
According to recently released figures, a total of 4.7 billion doses were made available by private pharmacies, up from 4.4 million in 2016, with 30 percent of the latter dealing with anti-flu vaccines.
One result was a 14-percent increase in pharmacies' turnover for vaccine sales, which is estimated to have reached 165 million euros in 2017 in a country of roughly 11 million residents.