The Tunisian pharmaceutical industry has expanded greatly since its liberalization more than a decade years ago. The sector is again expected to undergo major changes in 2007 as authorities are proceeding with reforms in the public healthcare system. In the past, only a few pharmaceutical laboratories produced medicine. Today, there are 27, both public and private, and major international pharmaceutical firms such as Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis and Pierre Fabre, have set up production facilities in the country. Before the liberalization process, drugs produced locally accounted for only 7% of national consumption. Today, local production covers all kinds of medication and represents almost half of the country’s production needs in value, with TD240 million in revenue. Only more sophisticated drugs are being imported. The market itself is relatively modest, valued at approximately $185 million per year. It is extremely fragmented, with 46 wholesalers selling to the Central Pharmacy, a public organization
