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Parallellhandel och hur den påverkar läkemedelspriser - Marknadsdynamiken mellan parallellimportör och originalfabrikant

Rolander, Cecilia LU (2014) NEKH01 20132
Department of Economics
Abstract
In a market with homogeneous products and no barriers to trade, arbitrage, in the form of parallel imports of pharmaceuticals, is expected to lead to a price convergence in the market as a whole, preferably downwards, as an effect of competitive behavior between the parallel trader and the pharmaceutical producer. Such an effect on prices have however only sparsely been shown in previous research, and evidence of the absence of such an effect is a more common finding.
Due to a number of characteristics of the pharmaceutical market, such as heavy state regulation, resulting in a rigidity in prices as well as external reference prices, combined with parallel importers facing a limited supply – the pharmaceutical industry has no or little... (More)
In a market with homogeneous products and no barriers to trade, arbitrage, in the form of parallel imports of pharmaceuticals, is expected to lead to a price convergence in the market as a whole, preferably downwards, as an effect of competitive behavior between the parallel trader and the pharmaceutical producer. Such an effect on prices have however only sparsely been shown in previous research, and evidence of the absence of such an effect is a more common finding.
Due to a number of characteristics of the pharmaceutical market, such as heavy state regulation, resulting in a rigidity in prices as well as external reference prices, combined with parallel importers facing a limited supply – the pharmaceutical industry has no or little reason to deter such parallel trade activity by cutting prices, but rely instead on limiting the market share of parallel traders by hindering available supply for parallel trade and by various means increase their trading costs. An accommodation strategy proves to be more profitable for the global pharmaceutical company as a whole, also to avoid spill over effects of cutting prices in one market.
Using an empirically based model to simulate the profit and loss occurring from parallel trade, we support the theoretical finding of a Nash equilibrium by doing nothing. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Rolander, Cecilia LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Parallel Trade and its Effect on Pharmaceutical Prices - The Market Dynamics Between the Pharmaceutical Producer and the Parallel Importer
course
NEKH01 20132
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Parallellimport, arbitrage, läkemedelsprissättning, priskonkurrens
language
Swedish
id
4312428
date added to LUP
2014-02-14 11:08:06
date last changed
2014-02-14 11:08:06
@misc{4312428,
  abstract     = {{In a market with homogeneous products and no barriers to trade, arbitrage, in the form of parallel imports of pharmaceuticals, is expected to lead to a price convergence in the market as a whole, preferably downwards, as an effect of competitive behavior between the parallel trader and the pharmaceutical producer. Such an effect on prices have however only sparsely been shown in previous research, and evidence of the absence of such an effect is a more common finding. 
Due to a number of characteristics of the pharmaceutical market, such as heavy state regulation, resulting in a rigidity in prices as well as external reference prices, combined with parallel importers facing a limited supply – the pharmaceutical industry has no or little reason to deter such parallel trade activity by cutting prices, but rely instead on limiting the market share of parallel traders by hindering available supply for parallel trade and by various means increase their trading costs. An accommodation strategy proves to be more profitable for the global pharmaceutical company as a whole, also to avoid spill over effects of cutting prices in one market. 
Using an empirically based model to simulate the profit and loss occurring from parallel trade, we support the theoretical finding of a Nash equilibrium by doing nothing.}},
  author       = {{Rolander, Cecilia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Parallellhandel och hur den påverkar läkemedelspriser - Marknadsdynamiken mellan parallellimportör och originalfabrikant}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}