This was announced by Ims Health, a US company specializing in data processing for the pharmaceutical-health sector, which also compiled the ranking of the best-selling drugs in the world. In first place is the anti-cholesterol Lipitor (Pfizer), with an increase in sales of 6.4 percent, followed by the anti-thrombotic Plavix (Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis), the proton pump inhibitor Nexium (AstraZeneca) and the anti-asthma inhaler Advair (GlaxoSmithKline). Compared to the previous year, another important difference emerges: while in 2004 global sales were driven above all by the aging of the population, the growth of well-being, the launch of innovative products and new applications of existing molecules, in 2005 40 percent of market growth was fueled by the introduction of new products, including 30 new molecules. For the next 5 years, Ims Health estimates an average annual increase in sales of 5-8 percent.
