Analysis of the pharmaceuticals market and its technological development in Turkey

The objectives of this study were to analyze the current structure of the Turkish pharmaceuticals market to explain the latest developments and to offer some insight into the likely policy issues that this sector will face.

Systematic searches of the relevant Turkish and English research literature were made, using electronic databases in addition to written reports.

The pharmaceutical industry in Turkey currently has eighty-seven manufacturing firms, eleven raw material manufacturers and thirty-eight importing firms. These add up to a total of 136 firms, 35 of which are driven by foreign capital, with 8 of these foreign-run firms having their own plants in Turkey. The industry employs approximately 19,000 personnel. In terms of growth, the value of pharmaceutical products in Turkey recently has exceeded that in Europe. In addition, per capita drug consumption levels are quite low compared with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and European Union countries. Major international players in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical products sector have also been opening offices in Turkey to reap the benefits of this rapidly evolving market.

The pharmaceutical industry in Turkey is quite advanced and diverse, with high quality, generic pharmaceutical products being manufactured as well as poor quality copies that have not been appropriately tested in terms of bioequivalence and bioavailability. The country faces a low level of drug consumption due to economic and cultural constraints compared with Western countries. Governmental control and regulations are key issues because the majority of drug purchases (70-80 percent) throughout the country are currently reimbursable through public sector agencies such as the Pension Fund and the Social Insurance Organization.