NEWSLETTER-2017

389 MISCELLANEOUS in Western Europe, 4.9% in North America, 8.1% in Asia and Austra- lia, and 8.7% in the Middle East and Africa 4 . This wind of change has triggered and will trigger other changes, both in an economic sense, as well as in terms of legal regulations in the pharmaceutical sector. Recent regulations are now based more on patient results and data- based information 5 . In the meanwhile, the share of generic drugs in the total drug expenses is expected to increase from 27% (corresponding to 261 billion dollars) as of 2012, to 36% (corresponding to 421 billion dollars) by 2017 6 . Pharmaceutical Sector in Turkey The position of the pharmaceutical sector in our country has recently gained more significance, and has experienced a transforma- tion, parallel to global changes 7 . There are 67 production facilities, approximately 300 corporations, 31 thousand employees, and more than 11 thousand products. Also, Turkish pharmaceutical products have been exported to more than 160 countries in the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, North Africa and Middle Eastern countries 8 . According to International Medical Statistics, Turkey has become the 17th worldwide with its pharmaceutical market of 7 billion dollars, in 2014 9 . According to the same 2014 data, there are 332 firms active 4 2015 Global Life Sciences Overview, Deloitte DTTL, 2014, https://www2. deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/tr/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/ sagl%C4%B1k-ve-ilac-sekt%C3%B6r%C3%BC-2020-ongoruleri.pdf (“ De- loitte ”). 5 Deloitte. 6 “2017’ye kadar Tıpta Genel Görünüm” published by “IMS Sağlık Bilişim Kuruluşu”. 7 Especially after the Transformation in Health Programme ( Sağlıkta Dönüşüm Programı ) which was initiated in 2003, the changes in health and pharmaceutical sectors have accelerated. Please see “Sağlıkta Dönüşüm Programı Ağustos 2008 İlerleme Raporu” at http://sbu.saglik.gov.tr/Ekutuphane/kitaplar/turkiyeSDP.pdf. 8 Union of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers ( İlaç Endüstrisi İşverenler Sendikası ), Turkey Pharma Industry 2015 ( Türkiye İlaç Sektörü 2015 ), http:// www.ieis.org.tr/ieis/assets/media/kls/TR_Ilac_sektoru_2015.pdf (“ Union of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers ”). 9 OECD Health Statistics 2016 Definitions, Sources and Methods.