Focus Reports

Although still tightly regulated, healthcare industry stakeholders-buoyed by regulatory reforms aimed at increasing patient access to innovative new therapies-are cautiously optimistic that the Czech Republic will further close the gap with Western Europe.

With an estimated annual growth rate of 10%, the Middle East is now consistently outpacing traditionally sought-after “pharmerging” heavyweights such as China and Brazil. The United Arab Emirates is at the center of this newfound momentum-asserting its own credentials as a prospective destination for big-ticket foreign investment in healthcare.

Hungary is fast staking a reputation for itself as one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most dynamic economies. A major factor has been pharmaceuticals, where Hungary’s history of research and production is reflected today in an attractive pharma investment landscape and the presence of home-grown success stories.

In China’s new reform-driven and fast-moving environment for healthcare innovation, intense market pressures and fierce competition will ultimately push all stakeholders to evolve their strategies-or face extinction.

More than two years since the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s supply of medical products has remained largely uninterrupted, debunking common misconceptions at the time and maintaining the island’s standing as one of the most attractive life sciences manufacturing hubs.

Boasting a long and proud tradition in the life sciences, consistently ranked among the world’s most pioneering countries, Sweden’s biggest task will be to maintain such standards in an era where medical science is becoming ever more sophisticated and integrated with other disciplines.

After two decades of building a robust healthcare ecosystem, Thailand is seeking to move to the next level-Thailand 4.0-a potential stepping stone in its strategy to initiate a transformative era with a greater embrace of R&D.

A decade into China’s far-reaching healthcare reforms-which began with the implementation of universal, albeit rudimentary, medical insurance-the pace of change and transformation within the country’s life sciences industry shows no signs of abating.

With Spain enjoying an economic rebound, pharma and medtech multinationals are seeing the country as a top-tier investment destination once more-thanks to improved market access, quality but affordable manufacturing capabilities, and an enviable clinical research base.

In the middle of new reforms, and with its political turmoil well in the past, Egypt is striving to open the door to a brave new era of healthcare provision, where improving public healthcare has been assigned priority status.

After several years of losing pace to many of its European peers when it comes to pharma production and R&D, France’s life sciences market, sparked by a renewed spirit of reform, is now squarely back on the radar of the international investor community.

Following its economic rise in recent decades, driven by innovation across a wide variety of powerhouse industries, South Korea is setting its sights on the next generation of technological growth-including new strategies to globalize and industrialize the nation’s pharmaceutical and healthcare sector.

Declaring it a “strategic sector for priority development,” China has opened up the floodgates for sweeping reforms of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure-a watershed moment for the Chinese pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, where all stakeholders will have to adapt to the new rules of the game.

After a prolonged period of relative stagnation, the strategically influential, clinically rich French life sciences market suddenly seems to be rediscovering its mojo-thrusting the pharma and medtech sectors into the spotlight.

With Spain now squarely on the road to economic recovery following the ravages of the global financial crisis, multinational pharmaceutical companies are seeing the country as a top-tier investment destination once more.

Despite market access hurdles, Turkey’s pharmaceutical market holds tremendous growth potential-in both value and volume. But will the country be able to take that final step in creating a regulatory and economic environment that is conducive to further upward development?

With a reputation as a reliable, if somewhat unspectacular, marketplace, Malaysia has long appealed to life science investors lured in by the prospect of generating consistent returns.

Despite a recent whirlwind of changes and policy reshuffling in Algeria’s life science space, the nation’s marketplace remains a high priority for multinationals investing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Faced with looming uncertainties triggered by the upcoming Brexit, the United Kingdom’s life sciences sector, which constitutes one of the last big remaining bastions of British industry, is not about to rest on its laurels.

Behind an economic revival in Portugal, including healthcare spending growth, the nation’s life sciences sector is benefiting as well, with Portugal diverging from the European averages to show an increase in R&D and innovation.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is traditionally known as a global powerhouse for the production of bulk drugs and generics, but less heralded is the growth India has made on the pharma world stage in several other areas, including biotechnology and R&D.

After many years of building up an impressive resource base, the industry is finally ready to take advantage of the wave of enthusiasm and interest surounding pharma and biotech that is sweeping the nation

Once silent, an emerging market raises its voice

China's explosive growth in R&D is putting the natiion on its way to becoming the world's second-largest market by 2020