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The market for copied brand-named drugs, the so-called generic pharmaceuticals, has been increasing in Norway for years. In 2023, generic pharmaceuticals composed over 55 percent of the total pharmaceutical market volume in the country. 

 Large share of expired patents

  A generic drug contains the same chemical substance as an original, previously patented, brand-named drug, and can enter the market first when the patent of the original drug has expired. In 2018, for the first time the larger share of pharmaceutical sales based on volume in Norway came from drugs whose patents were expired, and a large part even from drugs whose patent expired 40 years ago or longer.

The whole pharmaceutical market in Norway is growing 

  The sales value of the total pharmaceutical market has been increasing since 2000. In 2023, the market reached the highest sales value, amounting to over 37 billion Norwegian kroner. That was more than twice the sales value of 2010.