The pharmaceutical industry invested more money in research and development (R&D) in recent years than the IT&C industry, according to a report conducted by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Even so, Romania ranks 14th out of 22 countries based on investments in pharma research and development, but managed to outrank countries like Portugal and Norway.

Romania invested EUR 150 million in pharmaceutical R&D in 2009, while the total investment in Europe amounted to EUR 27.4 billion. The ranking is led by Germany with investments in this segment of EUR 5.3 billion, followed by UK with EUR 4.9t billion, France with 4.96 billion, and Switzerland with EUR 4.3 billion. Bulgaria is the country that made the lowest investment in pharmaceutical R&D, with just EUR 1 million.

In 2010, the research-based pharmaceutical industry invested an estimated EUR 27 billion in R&D in Europe, and it directly employed about 640,000 people, shows the EFPIA report.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)