# What developing countries have functioning pharmaceutical industries **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 8, 2010, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705 "2010-03-08T07:50:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/1 "2010-03-08T07:50:45Z")
On the subject of patents and HIV drugs, it comes up in the articles I’ve read that because Brazil & India have their own drug industries and manufacturing facilities that they just make the drugs themselves rather than try to buy them on the international market. So aside from India and Brazil (and likely China) what developing nations have functioning pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D facilities so they could make their own drugs rather than buy them on the international market? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/2 "2010-03-08T08:43:07Z")
[Teva](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teva_Pharmaceutical_Industries), the world’s largest producer of generic pharmaceuticals, is an Israeli company. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/3 "2010-03-08T11:01:18Z")
South Africa has a fairly robust pharma industry, especially for generics. But this doesn’t preclude buying drugs on the international market, either. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/4 "2010-03-08T12:09:21Z")
China does have a big industry. The foreign majors are all here and outsourcing more and more of their clinical trials. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/5 "2010-03-08T12:19:25Z")
Pakistan apparently From the website of Pakistan Pharamaceutical Manufacturers Association. > [@](#): > > Pakistan has a very vibrant and forward looking Pharma Industry. At the time of independence in 1947, there was hardly any pharma industry in the country. Today Pakistan has about 400 pharmaceutical manufacturing units including those operated by 25 multinationals present in the country. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Industry meets around 70% of the country’s demand of Finished Medicine. The domestic pharma market, in term of share market is almost evenly divided between the Nationals and the Multinationals. > > The National pharma industry has shown a progressive growth over the years, particularly over the last one decade. The industry has invested substantially to upgrade itself in the last few years and today the majority industry is following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), in accordance with the domestic as well as international Guidance. Currently the industry has the capacity to manufacture a variety of product ranging from simple pills to sophisticated Biotech, Oncology and Value Added Generic compounds . > **[Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association | PPMA Official](https://ppma.org.pk/)** > > PPMA leads Pakistan’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, promoting medicine access, policy development, and exports — like PMA and similar. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/6 "2010-03-08T13:04:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > [Teva](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teva_Pharmaceutical_Industries), the world’s largest producer of generic pharmaceuticals, is an Israeli company. However, Israel is rarely if ever considered a “Developing” country anymore – see the IMP list of Developed Countries, [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country#IMF_advanced_economies) – and our conspicuous absence from the IMF list of Developing Countries, [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country) (yeah, Wiki. I’m lazy, so sue me… :)) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/7 "2010-03-08T13:15:13Z")
You’re right. It’s just that since the OP mentioned India, I assumed “developing countries” just meant young countries, which Israel is. I guuess developing countries can’t be successful, because if they’re too successful, they stop being developing countries… ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/8 "2010-03-08T13:27:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You’re right. It’s just that since the OP mentioned India, I assumed “developing countries” just meant young countries, which Israel is. Neither India nor Brazil (nor China) are on the IMF list of Developed countries, however… and we are. I actually checked that before answering 🙂 > [@](#): > > I guess developing countries can’t be successful, because if they’re too successful, they stop being developing countries… Which is true as far as it goes, but I think the OP meant countries that haven’t been successful enough, yet! And I’ll take being on the Developed Countries list any day over being a Model Case of a Developing one (OECD, here we come! :)) [/hijack – I’ll clear the floor now for people with additional examples of actual Developing Countries with a pharma industry] ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/9 "2010-03-08T13:28:06Z")
Singapore. Is that developing? ---
**Author:** ![lalenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@lalenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalenin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/10 "2010-03-08T14:21:04Z")
Cuba [does](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Cuba#Industry). Although I would be very skeptical about claims of new and promising drugs about to be unveiled. Every other day in Cuba we heard about some new pharmaceutical breakthrough that would change medicine forever, but the only medicines I ever took in Cuba were manufactured in Mexico, Spain, Canada, or the US. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/11 "2010-03-08T16:09:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I guuess developing countries can’t be successful, because if they’re too successful, they stop being developing countries… Pretty much. The world bank divides countries by per capita income > **[World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty and Sustainability](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/home)** > > With 189 member countries, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership fighting poverty worldwide through sustainable solutions. > [@](#): > > Income group: Economies are divided according to 2008 GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method. The groups are: low income, $975 or less; lower middle income, $976 - $3,855; upper middle income, $3,856 - $11,905; and high income, $11,906 or more. I expect high income countries to have their own pharma industries, but lower middle and upper middle income countries like Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, etc. I really don’t know. Then again China, India & Pakistan make nuclear weapons. I was also curious if any low income countries have pharma industries. I assume most high income countries do, and some middle, but don’t know if any low income countries have their own industries. A big reason I was asking is on issues of international patents with HIV, countries like India & Brazil just skirt patent law and make the drugs themselves. So I figured decentralization of pharma manufacture is going to keep growing, esp when involved in life or death drugs. I don’t know if places like Kenya or Togo have their own pharma industries to make their own drugs, or if they need to buy them from India and Brazil. Also, how did this end up in GD? I thought I posted this in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/12 "2010-03-08T16:36:57Z")
Apparently Kenya has its own pharma industry with 30 manufacturers and companies in Nairobi. [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ed4dNwqSNQUJ:www.investmentkenya.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom\_docman%26Itemid%3D%26task%3Ddoc\_download%26gid%3D3+kenya+pharmaceutical+industry+penicillin&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiMpJFlU09gafnmEfNOZ5c1HMnuYxaDQXtNp9ujmH2m-ZbR2ww5Sn8XwgKbRkRUtRPv6ANwGbeY7Wu2wFe4CGm3ck8Tg3T2NFZaqiBe5rRMjPgKhuJ9ODnCACHNVKKTUzrLkoEf&sig=AHIEtbSA6oXAoMzcxHgywgI2IOmQq9ALvQ](http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ed4dNwqSNQUJ:www.investmentkenya.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_docman%26Itemid%3D%26task%3Ddoc_download%26gid%3D3+kenya+pharmaceutical+industry+penicillin&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiMpJFlU09gafnmEfNOZ5c1HMnuYxaDQXtNp9ujmH2m-ZbR2ww5Sn8XwgKbRkRUtRPv6ANwGbeY7Wu2wFe4CGm3ck8Tg3T2NFZaqiBe5rRMjPgKhuJ9ODnCACHNVKKTUzrLkoEf&sig=AHIEtbSA6oXAoMzcxHgywgI2IOmQq9ALvQ) Thats good. The impression I get as a westerner is that countries in Africa need to buy/import drugs for malaria, HIV, TB, etc. on the international market, where they may be too expensive. But if places like Kenya make them and distribute them at cost, then that is a huge move towards development, independence and self sufficiency. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-developing-countries-have-functioning-pharmaceutical-industries/531705/13 "2010-03-08T17:19:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Pretty much. The world bank divides countries by per capita income > > [World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty and Sustainability](http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20420458~menuPK:64133156~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html) > > I expect high income countries to have their own pharma industries, but lower middle and upper middle income countries like Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, etc. I really don’t know. Then again China, India & Pakistan make nuclear weapons. > > I was also curious if any low income countries have pharma industries. I assume most high income countries do, and some middle, but don’t know if any low income countries have their own industries. > > A big reason I was asking is on issues of international patents with HIV, countries like India & Brazil just skirt patent law and make the drugs themselves. So I figured decentralization of pharma manufacture is going to keep growing, esp when involved in life or death drugs. I don’t know if places like Kenya or Togo have their own pharma industries to make their own drugs, or if they need to buy them from India and Brazil. > > Also, how did this end up in GD? I thought I posted this in GQ. India and to a lesser extent Pakistan have large industrial bases.