LONDON, September 27 /PRNewswire/ --     In the European Economic Area (EEA), the practice of parallel
trade in prescription medicines has been ongoing for more than 40 years. At
pharmacy buying prices, parallel trade in the top four destination markets of
the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden totals more than Euro2700 million.

It is no surprise then that the issue of parallel trade
provokes consistent hostility from pharmaceutical companies in Europe. Yet,
despite their efforts, the trade continues to flourish, eroding profits in
the freer-priced markets. Indeed, some might argue that it is precisely
because of failed efforts to stamp it out that parallel trade has grown to
affect more markets and more products than ever before.

In such an environment, it is therefore vital to coolly
reassess strategy and focus on proven techniques of tackling parallel trade
that really can maximise products' revenue. This can only follow from a
detailed understanding of the political, legal, economic and commercial
environments in which the trade occurs, and direct pre-emptive and reactive
efforts at key targets.

A new 146-page report How to React to Parallel Trade, written
by renowned parallel trade expert Donald Macarthur and published by Scrip,
provides the information required to understand this complex and
controversial issue. It gives the reader essential background information,
arguments for and against parallel trade, explanation of the rules on
bringing parallel imports to market, lessons learnt from major controversies,
country market profiles, and predictions for the future of the practice.

Perhaps even more importantly, the report suggests strategic
responses to parallel trade and outlines their potential consequences. It
also explains price and supply management techniques and gives a number of
recommendations on how to tackle parallel trade both legally and
successfully.

This exclusive, in-depth report is a must-read for any company
involved in the manufacture and supply of prescription medicines in Europe.

About the author

Donald Macarthur is a former secretary general of the European
Association of Euro-Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC), the pan-European
grouping of national associations and individual firms involved in parallel
trading of medicines. He has produced 40+ reports on pharmaceutical business
issues and his consultancy clients have included EFPIA, PhRMA and GIRP. He
worked for 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry and is listed in Marquis'
Who's Who in the World. He is considered by many to be the leading expert on
pharmaceutical parallel trade.

Scrip Reports publishes an extensive range of pharmaceutical
therapeutic market reports, detailed analyses of the pharmaceutical market
for specific geographic areas, in-depth profiles of companies operating in
the industry, financial and statistical analyses, directories and other
strategic reports on the healthcare sector.

Visit http://www.scripreports.com/paralleltrade for more information.

For further press details contact 
    Jenefer Trevena 
    Managing Editor 
    Scrip Publishing 
    Tel: +44-(0)-20-7017-6989 
    Email: jenefer.trevena@informa.com. 
    
    To purchase How to React to Parallel Trade contact 
    Andrew Maitland 
    Sales Manager 
    Tel: +44-(0)-20-7017-6859 
    Email: andrew.maitland@informa.com and quote code JR20002P