As we all know, the American population is aging, and not necessarily getting all that much richer. The answer? generic drugs. Says IBIS, “Generic drugs are sold without patent protection and tend to be cheaper than brand-name drugs, making them more attractive in the face of rising overall healthcare costs.” They add that the recent healthcare overhauls, however, may cut into drug-makers profits because private insurers will have more customers and therefore more leverage when negotiating drug prices. Still, demographic factors should more than make up for these losses.
Average annual growth 2002-2012: 9.6%
Projected growth 2012-2017: 6.3%