Global pharmaceutical sales grew 6 percent in the 12 months to February in leading markets, unchanged from the rate recorded a month earlier, healthcare information company Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) Health said yesterday.

Sales through retail pharmacies in 13 leading markets, which account for more than two-thirds of the world market, totalled $351 billion in the period.

The rate of market growth has slowed sharply in recent years as generic competition has bitten into sales, while governments have squeezed prices in a bid to rein in healthcare costs. A few years ago, drug makers saw double-digit growth as standard.

Sales in the top five European markets showed a 5 percent constant exchange growth in the year to February while North America grew 8 percent and Japan increased 2 percent.

The single largest drug class was cholesterol-lowering medicines, selling $26.4 billion and showing a growth rate of 11.9 percent. Pfizer Inc?s Lipitor remained the world?s best-selling drug, with sales of $10.8 billion.