ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:To learn the way to improve innovation efficiency of technological development and achievement transformation stages in pharmaceutical industry in China. METHODS:The input and output data of pharmaceutical industry in 28 provinces(regions,cities)of China from 2001-2013 were estimated by using stochastic frontier analysis(SFA)so as to obtain in-novation efficiency of two stages. According to average efficiency of two stages,pharmaceutical industry of 28 provinces(regions, cities)were divided into 4 categories for further analysis. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS:The innovation efficiency of pharmaceuti-cal industry in China was 0.626 2 at technology development stage and 0.567 8 at transformation stage,indicating they were not high either and the transformation efficiency was lagged behind the development efficiency. The coefficient of variation of innova-tion efficiency at transformation stage(0.274 2)was higher than development stage(0.194 5),indicating the difference degree of innovation efficiency at transformation stage was larger than at development stage. The areas with higher efficiency in both stages were in Eastern and economically developed regions,and the Western region with rich natural resources had higher efficiency at technological development stage,indicating region economic level or resource advantages created the conditions for the pharmaceuti-cal industry to enhance the innovation efficiency. It is suggested to further strengthen scientific achievement communication between pharmaceutical enterprises and pharmaceutical research institutions,and pay more attention to develop national medicine and tradi-tional Chinese medicine in Western region.