DISTRIBUTION OF GENERIC PHARMACEUTICALS BY COUNTRY IN TURKIYE BETWEEN 2021 AND 2025
Author(s)
Ekin Begum Ozdemir, MSc1, Yagmur Faiz, BSc1, OZNUR SEYHUN, BSc, MFE, MSc2, Guvenc Kockaya, MSc, PhD, MD2, Selin Okcun, MSc3.
1Econix Research, İstanbul, Turkey, 2Econix Research, Tallin, Estonia, 3Health Economist, Econix Research, İstanbul, Turkey.
1Econix Research, İstanbul, Turkey, 2Econix Research, Tallin, Estonia, 3Health Economist, Econix Research, İstanbul, Turkey.
OBJECTIVES: Within Türkiye’s pharmaceutical policy, the International Reference Pricing (IRP) system serves as a foundational mechanism that links domestic drug prices directly to the price levels of selected benchmark nations. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the country-specific breakdown of generic pharmaceuticals across these reference markets, highlighting their relative proportions within the system.
METHODS: The analysis was conducted using the Detailed Pharmaceutical Price Lists published by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TITCK) between 2021 and 2025. Generic pharmaceuticals referencing Türkiye’s official IRP reference countries—France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain—as well as Germany and Switzerland due to their frequent use in recent years, were included in the analysis. Non-reimbursed and over-the-counter products were excluded. Analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel.
RESULTS: Overall, 22,333 generic pharmaceuticals were analyzed from 2021 to 2025, with annual counts of 5,808, 5,992, 3,514, 3,418 and 3,601 respectively. During the 2021-2025 period, the shares of generic pharmaceuticals across the reference markets were distributed as follows; France: 21.50%, 21.50%, 19.32%, 19.89%, 21.16%; Greece: 27.72%, 27.57%, 26.86%, 24.72%, 24.69%; Italy: 16.18%, 15.99%, 13.38%, 12.38%, 11.50%; Portugal: 7.28%, 7.46%, 6.63%, 6.47%, 5.44%; Spain: 12.74%, 12.77%, 12.49%, 11.88%, 12.61%; Germany: 3.43%, 3.42%, 4.15% , 3.95%, 4.08% and Switzerland: 1.02%, 0.93%, 1.99%, 2.87%, 2.67%.
CONCLUSIONS: The country distribution pattern for generic pharmaceuticals remained consistent from 2021 to 2025, despite a sharp decline in the total quantity of products after 2022. Greece and France consistently represented the dominant benchmark countries, accounting for nearly half of the analyzed pool, whereas Switzerland maintained the minimal baseline share. These findings demonstrate that even with a contracting market size, the proportional reliance on these primary reference countries remained structurally unchanged.
METHODS: The analysis was conducted using the Detailed Pharmaceutical Price Lists published by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TITCK) between 2021 and 2025. Generic pharmaceuticals referencing Türkiye’s official IRP reference countries—France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain—as well as Germany and Switzerland due to their frequent use in recent years, were included in the analysis. Non-reimbursed and over-the-counter products were excluded. Analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel.
RESULTS: Overall, 22,333 generic pharmaceuticals were analyzed from 2021 to 2025, with annual counts of 5,808, 5,992, 3,514, 3,418 and 3,601 respectively. During the 2021-2025 period, the shares of generic pharmaceuticals across the reference markets were distributed as follows; France: 21.50%, 21.50%, 19.32%, 19.89%, 21.16%; Greece: 27.72%, 27.57%, 26.86%, 24.72%, 24.69%; Italy: 16.18%, 15.99%, 13.38%, 12.38%, 11.50%; Portugal: 7.28%, 7.46%, 6.63%, 6.47%, 5.44%; Spain: 12.74%, 12.77%, 12.49%, 11.88%, 12.61%; Germany: 3.43%, 3.42%, 4.15% , 3.95%, 4.08% and Switzerland: 1.02%, 0.93%, 1.99%, 2.87%, 2.67%.
CONCLUSIONS: The country distribution pattern for generic pharmaceuticals remained consistent from 2021 to 2025, despite a sharp decline in the total quantity of products after 2022. Greece and France consistently represented the dominant benchmark countries, accounting for nearly half of the analyzed pool, whereas Switzerland maintained the minimal baseline share. These findings demonstrate that even with a contracting market size, the proportional reliance on these primary reference countries remained structurally unchanged.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
HPR85
Topic
Health Policy & Regulatory
Topic Subcategory
Reimbursement & Access Policy
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas