From Fortress to Entrepot : insights from Malta's pharmaceutical industry

Abstract

This study examined the contribution that the local generic pharmaceutical manufacturing industry gave towards Malta鈥檚 transition from being a Fortress to what can be considered to be an Entrep么t. An extensive review presents insights of various facets of this research area from other works. Upon completion of this review, the author built his research model to address the question at hand, which model largely included the holding of in-depth interviews with key influential stakeholders. The findings extracted from these encounters were subsequently analysed to yield the desired information. As a result, the author could conclude that the generic pharmaceutical manufacturing industry has made significant contributions towards Malta鈥檚 transition from a Fortress to becoming an Entrep么t, in both a direct and indirect manner. The author does however have concerns about the durability of this industry should it retain its current setup within the local market, particularly due to the European Union鈥檚 trend of ever increasing patent protection as well as the increasing level of expertise in countries who can offer such companies lower cost of labour. To this end, this study features three main recommendations which government institutions could adopt to maximise the potential of such an industry in view of an Entrep么t backdrop.