ABSTRACT
Marketing drugs internationally is neither a unique nor a new phenomenon. Many pharmaceutical companies, both United States-based and foreign-owned, have marketed ethical drugs outside their country of origin over an extended period of time. Various interrelated factors have accelerated the move from the domestic to the international marketing of pharmaceuticals, particularly since the end of World War II. The demand for ethical drugs is reflected by the environment of the marketplace. In international marketing there are a number of environmental factors influencing demand. The increasing availability of public and private health-care systems to large sections of the world's population, particularly in the industrialized nations, has greatly affected the demand for ethical drugs. Climatic conditions lead to varying demand levels for certain types of products, whether they are seasonal, such as anti-allergy products, or one time, such as the severity and duration of winter on the incidence of respiratory diseases.
