ASSESSMENT OF R&D ACTIVITIES IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR

Abstract

Objective: In recent years, drug research and development (R&D) activities have increased due to public incentives. The aim of this study is to assess pharmaceutical R&D activities, the perspective of national and international pharmaceutical companies on R&D as well as R&D investments of international pharmaceutical companies in Turkey. Material and Method: This study is a qualitative research and individual in-depth interview technique was employed for data collection. Interviews were conducted with sixteen pharmaceutical companies which were the members of Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Turkey, with seven Universities, and Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Technology, Turkish Pharmacists Association, the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, and the Marmara Research Center. Result and Discussion: The national pharmaceutical companies need to focus R&D activities on high added value drugs. Bayraktutan and Bidirdi [10] emphasized in their research on technology and competitiveness that the countries and the enterprises which perform R&D and give importance to technology development will gain a competitive advantage in international markets. Although biosimilar drugs are the first step in technology transfer, it is unknown whether the industry will switch to original biotechnology drug R&D in the future. There is a need for clusters and an effective R&D ecosystem in Turkey.