![Juliette Gagliardi](https://cdn.statcdn.com/static/../CMS/contactperson/ERI3290_1679050654.png)
Number of employees in the pharmaceutical industry in Italy 2000-2023
Pharmaceutical CDMO
Also, the production value, the investments and the value added of the Italian pharmaceutical industry steadily increased between 2013 and 2022. CDMO (Contract Development Manufacturing Organization) is the flagship of the Italian pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical CDMO developed itself since 1991, when a law - transposing a European directive - made it possible to outsource production stages to facilities not belonging to the company owning the medicinal product.
International trade
Pertaining to international trade, both imports and exports increased in recent years. In 2021, Germany was the main supplier, whereas Belgium was the major importer. Exports are very important for the Italian pharmaceutical sector. In 2019, 96 percent of the total pharmaceutical production was exported.