Table of Contents

Introduction

Industry Analysis

3 P.E.S.T. Analysis 4 Five Forces Competitive Analysis

5 The Industry’s Dominant Economic Features

6 SWOT Analysis

7 Change in the Pharmaceutical Industry

8 Illustration of Size and Location of Pharmaceutical Companies

9 Industries Attractiveness to Investors

10 Conclusion

1 INTRODUCTION

A pharmaceutical company, or drug company, is a commercial business whose focus is to research, develop, market and/or distribute drugs, most commonly in the context of healthcare. Pharmaceutical company can deal in generic (does not have a brand name or trademark) and/or brand medications. They are subject to a variety of laws and regulations regarding the patenting, testing and marketing of drugs. From its early stages at the beginning of the 19th Century, it has become one of the most successful and powerful industries, being a magnet for admiration and criticism equally. The majority of today's most important pharmaceutical companies were set up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Important findings of the 1920s and 1930s, such as insulin and penicillin, became mass-manufactured and distributed. Switzerland, Germany and Italy had exceptionally strong industries, with the UK and US following suit. Laws by official body were passed to test and approve drugs and requiring them to fix appropriate labelling. Prescription and non-prescription drugs became legally distinguished from one another as the pharmaceutical industry advanced. The industry got underway in a serious way from the 1950s, due to the development of systematic scientific approaches, understanding of human biology (including DNA) and sophisticated manufacturing techniques. Numerous new drugs were developed during the 1950s and mass-produced and marketed through the 1960s. This included the first oral contraceptive,