French Pharma must turn its strengths into competitive advantages on the international stage

Seeking enlightenment on subjects such as is France an attractive investment option for the international managers of pharmaceutical companies, on what basis and what needs to be done, the French drug trade group LEEM commissioned AEC Partners to conduct a study, the first in France, amongst major pharmaceutical groups to provide objective answers to these questions, particularly in the framework of the CSIS (Strategic Council for Healthcare Industries) in 2009.

This qualitative study was based on interviews with 73 international managers of pharmaceutical companies on several continents to find out their views of France as an investment destination. The interviewees represented nineteen major pharmaceutical companies accounting for over two thirds of the French market. The results, presented yesterday, paint an encouraging picture and reveal the challenges to be met, the LEEM said.

First lesson of the study: France remains a relatively attractive and legible market undergoing restructuring.