Who makes our pharmaceuticals?

[idlisambar]

What you already know
The American pharmaceuticals industry is seen as one of the few brightspots in America's industrial landscape. Not coincidentally, few industries recieve more help from the U.S. government: First, through the $20 billion of NIH subsidies that go toward much of basic research that our pharmaceuticals industry depends on; second, a genererous 20-year patent protection regime that gives brand name companies protection from generics; third, unlike other advanced industrialized nations, the U.S. does not have a national health care system that would allow it to engage in bulk purchasing of pharmaceuticals. In short, the U.S. Pharmaceuticals industry benefits greatly at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer and consumer. (For more details http://www.citizen.org/documents/rdmyths.pdf)

What you may not know
You would think that with all of this largesse that the U.S. pharmaceuticals industry would be sweeping all before it and at least be making some contribution to our national accounts, but you would be wrong -- the U.S. actually has a substantial trade deficit in pharmaceuticals. The major reason is that U.S. based multinational firms offshore much of their manufacturing. So who makes our pharmaceuticals?

http://www.usitc.gov/tradeshifts/documents/06chemicals_000.pdf

Figures for 2003
Overall trade deficit: $26.8 billion

Imports from three largest suppliers....
Ireland: $16.2 billion
UK: $6.4 billion
Germany: $4.3 billion