The global market for pharmaceuticals was worth more than $693 billion in 2007. It is expected to increase to over $737 billion in 2008 and will top $1.0 trillion in 2013.

The market is divided into branded prescription drugs, generic prescription drugs and over-the-counter products. Branded prescription drugs have the largest share of the market, with more than $525 billion in sales during 2007.

The second largest segment, generic prescription drugs, will experience the highest growth rate over the next few years. It was worth $78.5 billion in 2007 and will nearly double, to almost $152 billion, by the end of 2013.

Sources: PharmaLive.com June 11, 2008

Read Dr. Mercola’s comments at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/03/why-is-the-u-s-spending-more-than-1-trillion-for-drugs.aspx?source=nl