For more than a century, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has been the heartland of Germany's pharma and chemistry industry. Today, while the chemical industry is still strong, Germany is no longer the pharmacy of the world although NRW still houses a significant portion of companies active in pharmaceuticals. This amounts to about 150 companies, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises; only four have more than 1,000 employees. Most global pharmaceutical companies are represented in NRW—by subsidiaries, production facilities, or distribution centers—a reflection of the highly qualified employee base and the size of the market. For example, the German headquarters of Japanese company Takeda Pharma is located in Aachen, of Wyeth Pharma in Münster, and of Janssen-Cilag (Johnson & Johnson) in Neuss. Other companies with a presence in the state include Bayer Schering Pharma and Schwarz Pharma (UCB).
The presence of big corporations has impacted the state's ...
