UK firms have improved their position, German companies have held their own and French firms have declined. These trends were very similar to those in the USA and Japan. Increasing overall productivity meant that employment grew considerably more slowly than output. The decline since 1993 is very largely due to the current wave of mergers between global companies. Both manufacturers' prices and distributors' margins are subject to official controls in most of them.
Price sensitivity is higher with self-medication products where the consumer pays the entire bill.
Various measures suggest that on balance prices have not converged in recent years. The effects of the Transparency Directive have been modest. The environmental impact of the pharmaceutical industry is lower than that of most parts of the chemical industry. National requirements have so far determined company attitudes. There is no sign that firms have relocated to countries with low standards.