2008 Edition Of EFPIA's "Pharmaceutical Industry In Figures" Shows Pharma At 19% Of Global Business R&D Expenditure

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 23 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The European pharmaceutical industry association EFPIA has today released the 2008 Edition of "Pharmaceutical Industry in Figures", which shows that the pharmaceutical industry accounts for no less than 19% of global business R&D expenditure and 5.8% of EU manufactured exports. It is the sector with the highest ratio of R&D investment to net sales (15,9%). The industry employs more than 643,100 people in Europe of which 107,000 work in R&D units.

"These figures demonstrate how valuable the research-based pharmaceutical industry is to Europe and its health and economy. But our contribution should not be taken for granted", commented Brian Ager, Director General of EFPIA. "For over a decade now, Europe has gradually lost ground as a research base, with a steady transfer of its R&D to other parts of the world, in particular the US - where the environment is more supportive of pharmaceutical innovation".

Between 1990 and 2007, R&D investment in United States grew 5.2 times whilst in Europe it only grew 3.3 times. There is rapid growth in the research environment in emerging economies such as China and India. The current tendency to close R&D sites in Europe and to open new sites in Asia will show dramatic effects in the next few years if nothing is done to maintain the pharmaceutical discovery expertise in the EU.

The United States also dominates the biopharmaceutical field, accounting for the three quarters of the world's biotechnology revenues and R&D spending.

"If Europe sets itself as number one priority to reward and stimulate innovation, the research-based industry will not only be able to improve healthcare in Europe, bring new innovative medicines faster to European patients, it will also contribute to the Lisbon objective of economic growth, to more and better jobs, and therefore guarantee high living standards for current and future generations of European citizens", concluded Brian Ager.

About EFPIA

EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 32 national associations and 43 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA is the voice on the EU scene of 2,200 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing to patients new medicines that improve health and the quality of life around the world.

http://www.efpia.org