The pharmaceutical sector is, not only in the EU, but also in western Europe (where Switzerland is extremely important), the chemical industry branch currently showing the highest rates in growth and research investments, together with the highest production figures.
On the other hand, it is also the sector most heavily regulated, not just in commercial terms but also in industrial ones (eg. approval of new products), and these regulations are far from being harmonized among the different countries.

In contrast to that occurring in other sectors of the chemical industry, where growth is closely linked to, and dependent on, economic growth and cycles affecting the respective sectors, in the pharmaceutical industry the factors essentially affecting its behavior are social (evolution of age groups) and technological ones (discovery and launch of new products). Nevertheless, if, on the one hand, the progressive increase in life-expectancy stimulates the growth of the pharmaceutical industry, the impact of technological research is currently seen to be more uncertain and less predictable.

The Pharmaceutical Industry sector in Portugal is dominated by giant multinationals, most of which now import finished products. In recent years, local companies have invested heavily in the acquisition of manufacturing plants and the construction of new ones. Likewise, they have acquired sophisticated equipment and new technology, thereby enabling them to increase their market share in the past 10 years from some 8% to around 15%.

The Pharmaceutical Industry sector in Portugal accounts for a turnover of some €1.5 million per year, employing around 10,000 people, with some 20% of that number holding degrees in Pharmacology, Medicine, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Economics and Business Management. A number of Portuguese companies have geared their businesses to producing special pharmaceuticals for themselves and third parties. Others have sought to introduce new products under license from multinational companies. Some are now turning to globalization as a means to enhance their business, while a few others, looking for new technological solutions, have set up small R&D centers in joint efforts with other companies or universities.