The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7244 p501
12 April 2003

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Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (www.abpi.org.uk)

Medicine imports and exports rising

Imports and exports of medicines to and from the United Kingdom rose sharply last year, according to figures from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

Imports rose by around £1bn to £7.44bn in 2002 while exports rose by a similar amount to £10.03bn, giving a balance of trade of £2.59bn, slightly lower than last year. The ABPI says that Government initiatives such as national service frameworks are driving an increased use of pharmaceuticals by the National Health Service with an estimated 707 million prescription items dispensed in England last year, an average of 11.7 items per person a year. This is still under 13 per cent of NHS spending, the ABPI says.

The amount spent by pharmaceutical companies on research and development rose to £3.17bn.

ABPI annual review 2002, ABPI, 12 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DY (tel 020 7930 3477).