ABSTRACT
The global clinical trials industry is driven by the needs of pharmaceutical companies to bring new products to market; rapidly and in compliance with regulatory requirements. Many of the largest multinational pharmaceutical companies - the so-called 'pharmas' - are active in South Africa in importing and producing pharmaceuticals and in the conduct of clinical trials. This clinical trials industry now forms an important sub-sector of research and development (RetD) in the country. The release in August 2007 of the long-awaited Department of Trade and Industry national industrial policy framework designates four key value chains in the economy; one of which is chemicals; plastic fabrication and pharmaceuticals. This intention raises a key question: is South Africa to be a factory for the pharmas; or can it leverage its existing strengths in medical research and the conduct of clinical trials to develop a discovery-led local industry? This paper therefore offers an analytical and quantitative profile of the current state of the clinical trials industry in South Africa; to enquire as to its potential to grow a local pharmaceutical industry