In China, neurological drugs are also one of the most rapidly rising types of drugs in recent years. In 2002, neurological drugs accounted for 5.9% of the entire pharmaceutical market, and the total sales increased by 9.4%.
With the increasing trend of urbanization and aging, China's elderly population has exceeded 120 million, and the incidence of senile diseases, especially mental diseases, has increased year by year. With the increase of residents' income, the requirements for the quality of life of the elderly have also increased. In this trend, the demand for treatments for mental illnesses such as senile dementia has also increased significantly. In the WHO drug classification, psychoactive drugs and nootropic drugs are combined into one category. We analyze the development trend of this class of drugs through clinical medication data collected from more than 300 domestic key hospitals collected by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
The overall market size of this class of drugs is about 1.22 billion yuan. In 2002, the sales amount increased by only 5.0%, but the sales volume increased by 11.2%. The main reason for the failure to increase the sales amount with the sales volume was that of the drugs in this class. Several major varieties, such as Piracetam, Cobaltamide, and Ginkgo biloba, all encountered tenders in 2002 and saw a sharp drop in unit sales prices. Ginkgo biloba preparations account for the largest market share in this class of drugs, with a market share of more than 1/3, and gangliosides and cobalt amides also account for nearly 1/3 of the market share. Piracetam and other "silacetam" Drugs account for nearly 10% of the market share, and the remaining drugs each account for less than 5%. At present, there are more than 20 manufacturers of ginkgo biloba and more than 70 manufacturers of piracetam, all of which have entered the stage of price competition and profits have been diluted repeatedly.
Among the first-line varieties, except for the ginkgo biloba preparation, which has maintained a vigorous vitality, the growth of other varieties has been weak, especially the traditional variety piracetam has been "hit" by tendering and procurement, and has no power to return to the world. Sales of Xitan also declined, and the sharp decline in "Sitan" drugs was the main factor that caused the decline in the market's growth rate. However, observing several new varieties of the second line, we can find that the potential of new varieties in this class of drugs is huge. The rise of several second line new varieties such as huperzine A and donepezil has shown a sharp jump and rapid development momentum. As more new dementia treatment drugs will gradually enter the market, the market potential will further expand, and the market will also face increasing competition pressure.