GERMAN DRUG OUTPUT RISES

The pharmaceutical industry of western Germany increased its production to a significant degree last year, according to the industry association, the BPI.

Based on provisional figures, it is regarded as possible that production in 1991 was more than 30 billion Deutschemarks ($18.3 billion) expressed in value terms, according to the association. Figures available for the first eleven months of last year indicate a 16.5% increase in production of 24.3 billion marks ($14.8 billion) worth of the leading drug products, which account for 85% of total pharmaceutical production.

However, the industry's export surplus has narrowed, according to the BPI, with exports advancing by around 14.3% during the period to reach 12 billion marks ($7.3 billion), compared with a 26.3% increase in imports to 7.7 billion marks ($4.7 billion).