According to statistical data, the pandemic has brought modest growth to the pharmaceutical industry of Serbia.
The production of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations was 2.3 percent higher last year than in 2019. Exports also increased by about five percent, but that is why the demand for pharmaceutical products of foreign companies was far higher. Imports jumped by as much as 21.1 percent in this period.
Although it cannot be said that this branch was doing badly, they reduced the total number of employees. In 2020, in the production of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations, we hear in the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, 4,498 employees were registered, which is 0.7 percent less than the number of employees in 2019.
– According to the data of the Republic Bureau of Statistics, last year the export of pharmaceutical products amounted to 465.7 million euros, which is 2.7 percent of the total export of Serbia – they say in the Association for Pharmacy and Medical Activity of PKS. – Compared to 2019, exports grew by 5.4 percent. In the same period, imports reached 1.5 billion euros, with year-on-year growth of 21.1 percent and accounting for 6.5 percent of total imports. Products with significantly increased turnover in the previous year are primarily medical devices, which were used to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, surgical masks, examination and surgical gloves, then disinfectants, dietary supplements that help strengthen immunity, drugs that are according to the valid protocol, they are used for the treatment of patients with Covid 19, medicines and dietary supplements that alleviate the symptoms of the common cold, medicines used to lower the temperature, antibiotics.
These figures did not go unnoticed by pharmacies. The realized turnover in them is 932.5 million euros, which is an increase of 8.5 percent compared to 2019. The biggest jump in traffic was recorded in March.
– The pharmaceutical industry in Serbia reacted quickly and responsibly in extraordinary circumstances and provided a secure supply of medicines and medical devices, but also additional assistance in the form of significant donations – the Association for Pharmacy notes.
The growth of some global players, however, was higher. Recently, a large international group, a well-known manufacturer of drugs and preparations, boasted that in 2020, it recorded sales growth of as much as 18 percent. The entire group recorded sales exceeding three billion euros last year, Novosti reports.
