Turkey to lure pharma R&D

BOSTON - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey is hoping to become a global pharmaceutical research and development and production base, according to Science, Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergün.

The country is also aiming to become a regional pharmaceutical administrative center, the minister said June 18 during a global technology forum on the sidelines of the BIO International Convention in Boston.
“Turkey ranked 12th in the world in the pharmaceutical industry in 2010 with its $10.4 billion pharmaceutical market,” Ergun said.

Some 25,000 people are employed by the nearly 300 pharmaceutical companies operating in Turkey, the minister said, noting that the country would become one of the world’s main health tourism centers.