A recent survey about the Arab Gulf pharmaceutical industry reveals a substantial expansion in the past decade. According to the study, the number of factories increased from 11 in 1990 to 31 by the end of 1999, al Hayat daily reports. Accordingly, the capital invested on this industry boomed by 191 percent during the same period.
In all the Arab World, the number of pharmaceutical factories reached 195 by the end of 1998. These factories cover merely 40 percent of the total Arab demand. The Gulf pharmaceutical market captures about 30 percent of the total Arab pharmaceutical market, despite the fact that the Gulf population constitutes less than 10 percent of the Arab World residents.
