From the 2016 ITA Pharmaceuticals Top Markets Report: >"In addition to a favorable IP and regulatory environment, U.S. laws allowing direct-to-consumer adverti

From the 2016 ITA Pharmaceuticals Top Markets Report: >"In addition to a favorable IP and regulatory environment, U.S. laws allowing direct-to-consumer advertising creates immense demand for specific patented drugs. More importantly, the United States is the world’s largest free-pricing market for pharmaceuticals. As a result, prices are comparatively high to make up for lower profits in other countries and to cover R&D costs. The United States also has high per capita incomes, unmatched access to healthcare, a large elderly population, a culture of end-of-life prolongation, high rates of chronic diseases and drug consumption and a strong consumer preference for innovative drugs. All of these factors contribute to it being, by far, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market with $333 billion in sales in 2015, about triple the size of its nearest rival, China. The United States will remain the world’s most important market for the foreseeable future with healthy growth expected across all product sectors." <trade.gov/topmarkets/pdf/Pharmaceuticals_Executive_Summary.pdf>