1. Theory

1.1 Pharmaceutical industry: market and outlook

The pharmaceutical industry's mission is to discover, develop and perfect ever more effective medicines. It must produce them under conditions that ensure their safety and quality, and distribute them wherever they can contribute to public health. Its mission does not stop there, however, and also includes post-marketing surveillance (pharmacovigilance).

France is Europe's leading producer of pharmaceuticals, with sales of 38.1 billion euros, 40% of which is exported. It is important to note that 12.1% of sales are devoted to research and development, with 20% of the 100,000 people working in this sector.