Brazil grows in international trade

From 2004 to 2013, the participation of Brazil in the world trade of pharmaceutical products, measured by the sum of exports and imports, grew up 85.2%, to $ 9.8 billion. The expressive growth, however, was not enough to bring the country to a relevant position in the world rankings, according to recent survey of Pharmaceutical Industry Research Association (Interfarma).
With this move, the Brazil represented only 0.93% from $ 1.056 trillion traded last year, ranking the 22nd second position despite represent the sixth largest internal market for medicinal products from around the world. The Germany leads the ranking with $ 122,1 billion or 11.55% stake in the chain of Commerce, followed by the United States, with slice of 10.57% and $ 111.7 billion.
"Exporting is the weak side. The Brazil has a small representation in the world, "said foreign sales to Value the access Association Director, Pedro Bernardo. This is due, primarily, to the lesser degree of internationalization of Brazilian companies, lower indices of innovation-in 2013, the country was the 64th placed in the Global Innovation Index, World School of business (Insead) and low competitiveness, hampered both by industry and by specific issues called cost-Brazil.
From 2004 to 2013, while Brazilian exports of pharmaceutical products grew 305.3%, to $ 1,605 billion, imports advanced 283.9%, to $ 8,224 billion. It is a fact that there has been progress in foreign sales, but they still represent only 0.3% of the world's total. "That's very little for a country which is the sixth largest market," emphasized the Director of Interfarma.
As Bernardo, the countries that export medicines are also those with the best position in the world rankings for novation, which reflects high rates to stimulate research and development. Like all virtuous cycle, current trade leaders attract even more investments in the pharmaceutical industry, expanding the supply of qualified employment and access to more sophisticated treatments.
"The development of a new molecule may require investment of $ 1 billion. Drugmakers will choose, of course, countries which offer better conditions of the domestic market and export, with higher viability of return of the cost of innovation, "said the Executive of the entity.
To attract such investment, the country, in the evaluation of Interfarma, must rethink factors affecting systemic competitiveness, as high interest rates, high taxes (around 34% to the pharmaceutical industry), high cost of energy. "The sum of all this is a more expensive product in the country and little competitive in foreign markets," he said.
In the field of innovation, he added, there are stimuli for implementing clinical research and incentives to academic projects that are bound to the productive sector. To carry out a clinical research approvals are needed, including the national agency of sanitary surveillance (Anvisa). It is not uncommon, however, that the endorsement takes off in Brazil, he ends up losing the momentum for other countries, he added.
According to Interfarma, 30 countries are responsible for 97.43% of exports of pharmaceutical products worldwide, according to data from 2013. Among the countries that make up the BRICs, with China and Russia exporting more than Brazil. In Latin America, Mexico and Panama also exported more than the country.