1996 - A Year Of Decision, Says Germany's VFA

1996 will be a year of crucial decisions for research-based pharmaceutical companies and for Germany's role as a site for the pharmaceutical industry, according to the VFA, the German research-based drugmakers association, set up at the beginning of 1994.

International concentration within the drug industry will continue, it says, and this process is a clear indication of the global intensification of the competitive challenges that must be faced by the VFA member companies.

At the same time, the VFA notes, German health care reform policy is approaching important crossroads. Decisions made now will not only have decisive effects on the efficiency and the financial viability of the German health care system, but will also answer the question of whether Germany can remain an important location for the research, development and production activities of innovative pharmaceutical companies.