US Pharmaceutical Sector (USA Pharmaceutical Industry)

The pharmaceutical industry in the United States of America is a pioneer in terms of the discovery of new cost effective and life saving drugs. Being a comparatively free market, the pharmaceutical industry also focuses on research and development. It has in fact emerged as the leader in global pharmaceutical industry. The industry also offers numerous employment opportunities.

Share of US Pharmaceutical Industry in World

The pharmaceutical industry in the United States of America is a pioneer in terms of the discovery of new cost effective and life saving drugs. Being a comparatively free market, the pharmaceutical industry also focuses on research and development. It has in fact emerged as the leader in global pharmaceutical industry. The industry also offers numerous employment opportunities.

Share of US Pharmaceutical Industry in World
The global pharmaceutical market is worth 484,151 million Euros of which the North American market comprising United States of America and Canada occupies the larger share (47.7%).

Recent Developments in US Pharmaceutical Industry
In the span of a decade or so U.S pharmaceutical industry has discovered as many as 370 new drugs for different diseases of the heart and other organs. Medicines to counter hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s, cancer, depression and diabetes have also been discovered.

  In past, almost 50% of drugs in demand throughout the world were manufactured in United States. Some of these were even approved in the European continent and Japan.

Innovations in US Pharmaceutical Industry
The recent technological innovations have paved the way for a new phase in the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs have been developed to treat the root of diseases. The science of genomics has played an important role in this advancement. Some of the innovative technologies that have been implemented include:

• High-throughout screening for compounds which makes use automated technology or robotics
• ‘Laboratories on a chip’ which can store a huge number of DNA fragments.
• Molecular modeling
• Laser-capture microscopes
• X-ray crystallography

Current Status of US Pharmaceutical Industry
The ever expanding pharmaceutical industry in USA has investments worth huge amounts and much of the investment ahs been made in research and development. From 1990-2006, investments in research and development in U.S pharmaceutical sector went up 5 times. In 2006, total sales in North American region were 47.7% of the global sales.

Leading US Pharmaceutical Companies
Some of the leading biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies in the United States of America include Eli Lily, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genzyme, Amgen, Genentech, Biogen and Johnson & Johnson. Branches of these companies are located in different parts of USA.

Major Names in US Pharmaceutical Industry
Some of the scientists involved with US pharmaceutical industry include Dr.Daniel W. Norbeck and Dr Dale.J Kempf from Abbot Laboratories, Dr Kari Nadeau of Biogen and Dr Michael Jackson of the Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute.