Statistics on Medicines

Medicinal products market of human medicines

The medicinal products market has grown rapidly during the last five years. In 2025 the human medicinal products market share reached 559 mln euros, showing 8.6% increase compared to the previous year. Sales to general pharmacies covered 72% (402 mln euros), sales to hospital pharmacies 27% (152 mln euros) of total medicinal products market and sales to other institutions 1% (5 mln euros). In 2021 and 2022 the market share of other institutions was remarkably higher, mainly due to Covid-19 vaccines, which reached the market (Figure 1).

The sales of prescription medicines covered 88% and the sales of over-the-counter medicines 12% of the pharmaceutical market. The quarterly dynamics of pharmaceutical market during last five years is on Figure 2 and 3.

Medicinal product market share and drug consumption

Based on ATC classification, antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (ATC group L) had the greatest market share of 27%. Alimentary tract and metabolism medicines (ATC group A) covered 15% and medicines for nervous system (ATC group N) 10% of the market. The market share of these three ATC groups was altogether 51% (Figure 4).

DDD/1000/day describes often population drug consumption better than turnover which can be quite unstable, for example new generic drugs that come to market affect prices greatly or some medicines being expensive, i.e. antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, antiviral medicines.

Defined Daily Dose (DDD) is the assumed average dose per day for the drug used in its main indication in adults. Defined Daily Dose per thousand inhabitants a day (DDD/1000/day) expresses the proportion of the population within a defined area treated daily with certain drugs. However, the DDD system cannot be applied to all medicines, mainly due to very individual dosing. For example, most of the dermatological medicines as well as antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents or preparations (diagnostic agents, contrast media) in ATC group V (Various) that have not been assigned DDDs.

Analysing the medicinal product consumption in Estonia by using the unit DDD/1000/day, we can see that the most consumed medicines are cardiovascular system drugs (515 DDD/1000/day), forming more than one third (37%) of the total consumption of medicines. Alimentary tract and metabolism medicines cover 16% (223 DDD/1000/day) and nervous system medicines 13% (180 DDD/1000/day) of the total consumption (Figure 5).

Based on DDD/1000/day, the most used active substances of prescription medicines were Rosuvastatin (74 DDD/1000/day), Ramipril (52 DDD/1000/day) and Atorvastatin (49 DDD/1000/day) and of OTC medicines the combination of Acetylsalicylic acid and Magnesium oxide (32 DDD/1000/day), Xylometazoline (27 DDD/1000/day) and Ibuprofen (24 DDD/1000/day).

5054 medicinal preparation packages and 1470 active substances were marketed in Estonia.

More information about medicines consumption in Defined Daily Doses:

• DDD 2025 ENG | 1.53 MB | pdf