• The French pharmaceutical industry has an impressive reputation based on a long history of achievement. The international renown of the sector lies on a solid science base, dedicated researchers and notable business strengths that match the very best in the world.

The French-based pharmaceutical industry employs around 100 000 people, a quarter of them graduates, with about another 200 000 people employed in related industries.
The pharmaceutical industry works in close ties with the French government, the European authorities as well as with patients, trying to provide appropriate and high-quality medicines access and information.

The Leem (French Pharmaceutical Companies Association) is a constituted professional organization that represents the pharmaceutical industry in France, i.e. the companies whose mission is research, development, manufacturing and marketing of medicinal products.

The Leem is in charge of conducting the analysis and promotion of its members’ economic, industrial, and commercial interests, as well as of the promotion of the image of the pharmaceutical industry in France. It creates and enforces the profession’s ethical code. It facilitates the relationships between its members, and it makes closer relationships with other health care professions. The companies federated by the Leem represent almost all of the players in the field (small, medium and large pharmaceutical companies with French capital as well as French subsidiaries of foreign companies). They represent 97% of total sales revenues of medicinal products for human use in the field.

The Leem’s work is organized in commissions, each of which is in charge of one of the Leem’s activities. The purpose of these commissions and their working groups is to study the main problems that concern the pharmaceutical industry and its environment.

France, the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology

French pharmaceutical industry is among the world’s leading economic sectors, and one of the most knowledge-intensive and research-rich sector of the French economy.

The strength of French pharma industry :

• 335 firms.
• Sales revenues of  44.7  billion euros (43 % from exports).
• 103,500 employees, including  22,000 in R&D.
• 2000 jobs created each year.
• A value added of  12.6  billion euros, i.e.  0.71% of commercial GDP.
• 4.0  billion euros invested annually in research for new medicinal products.
• 11.1 % of sales revenues dedicated to research
• France is home to the full continuum of a well established industry thanks to its strong national market, outstanding training system, talented workforce, and its world recognized research.

France is a global leader in pharmaceuticals with 200 production sites, making possible its high-ranking position in the European pharma sector.

• The top front producer of medicinal products in Europe.
• A large and solvent market: the 3rd largest market in the world, the 2nd largest in Europe.

As the life sciences industry is an emerging powerhouse for French global economic competitiveness in the 21st century, French pharma companies located in France are helping to lead the biotechnology revolution from breakthrough drugs to new medical devices, to tools and techniques that are changing the world.

Historically, through its vaccine industry, France has a strong heritage of innovation and has been a pioneer in the use of living microorganisms for prophylactic purposes. France’s excellence in this field is well recognized in the world.

In addition, France is a mature fast-growing market for biotechnology-derived products, which already amounts to 2.2 billion euros per year.
The pharmaceutical companies in France are now working to build on their existing life-sciences base. They are committed to the creation of a proven network of state and industry support and collaboration that will help to take companies, in the conceptual, formation, growth or maturity stage, to the next level.

The French Government has supported the creation of bio-clusters able to rank among the world elite biocenters, bringing together young emerging companies, universities, mature companies…Seven bio-clusters have been labellized so far.

France has many strengths that support the biosciences sector: world-class academic/research institutions, strong skills in some research areas such as cancer. These bioclusters are keystone innovation zones, geographically designed to harness resources made available through partnerships formed by a combination of institutions of higher education, private businesses, commercial leading institutions and foundations.

There is no doubt that that the biosciences industry offer a clear sector of growth, which explains the Leem’s Biotech Committee support.

English documents avalaible in this site are below (except "Références 2005", in French only) :