In terms of being able to access medicines, patients in the Baltic states fare poorly compared to many of their European counterparts. 135 new medicines were approved by regulators in Lithuania and Estonia in 2016, but only 38 and 30 were made available to patients respectively. Latvia fares even worse, with just 7 of its 27 approved medicines available.
The market share split between generic and patented medicines is fairly similar across the region, with generics accounting for around 70% of volume and 60% of value in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The generics market in Lithuania stood as by far the largest in the Baltics in 2017, having grown steadily since 2011.
The value of the over the counter (OTC) medication market in the Baltics grew between 2011 and 2018, albeit comparatively sluggishly compared to the prescription (Rx) market, which surpassed EUR 1 billion in 2018.