China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) reports that at the end of 2007 there were 6,913 pharmaceutical companies in the country, including 4,682 active pharmaceutical ingredient and preparation manufacturers. The Chinese pharmaceutical market is composed of seven subindustries: “Chinese patent medicines, prepared slices of Chinese crude drugs, bulk chemical drug substances, chemical drug preparations, […]

China has proposed new patent laws that may make filing a patent in the country harder, but challenging a domestic patent easier. One of the new laws would require a foreign firm to file a Chinese patent first for any invention originating in the country. Many other countries have a similar requirement. However, the penalty […]

Japan continues to reform its R&D spending, which is estimated at $168 billion per year. However, critics contend the system still does not sufficiently encourage entrepreneurial and academic investments. In response, the government plans to launch a $93 million venture fund to support new firms. Critics contend that the country has become too dependent on […]

According to Ernst & Young’s European Investment Monitor, the number of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Europe rose 5% last year to 3,712. The UK was the top destination, accounting for 19% of project announcements (713 projects), followed by France with 15%. Serbia, the Ukraine and Russia recorded the largest percentage increases in projects […]

May’s inaugural meeting of the India Chemical Council highlighted the 8.9% growth for the country’s chemical industry from 2006 to 2007. The industry has revenues of $50 billion, not counting refining and fertilizers, which contribute $100 billion in sales a year. A leading sector is the pharmaceutical industry, which account for 22% by value of […]