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Where the Science Jobs Are - Spring 2010

Spotlight on Puerto Rico’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Sector

According to the February 2010 issue of Pharmaceutical Technology, 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical drugs sold within the United States are manufactured in the island nation of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" - literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is a self-governing, unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico’s bilingual and accessible workforce is well-prepared to meet the needs of pharmaceutical companies that are operating on the island, as well as those that are considering expanding or establishing manufacturing facilities during the coming years. With over 40 years of manufacturing experience in the pharmaceutical sector, Puerto Rico has an elite group of highly educated, innovative, and dedicated management teams with extensive regulatory experience.

Puerto Rico offers pharmaceutical manufacturers a full range of suppliers and services, including the availability of contract manufacturers. To date, the pharmaceutical sector of Puerto Rico employs more than 32,000 individuals. According to the University of Miami School of Business, over $42 billion worth of pharmaceutical products were shipped from Puerto Rico in 2008, constituting 28 percent of the world’s shipment. Today, Puerto Rico is the largest international shipper of pharmaceutical products.

A variety of organizations have recently invested in the pharmaceutical sector, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, AstraZeneca, and GlaxoSmithKline. Such companies typically find a steady supply of educated employees in Puerto Rico of all skill levels and past work experiences. Puerto Rico universities graduate some 23,000 students each year, with 9,000 holding degrees in science and engineering.

Without a doubt, Puerto Rico is the lowest cost gateway to the most lucrative life sciences in the world. Throughout the island, you can enjoy the benefits of operating within the jurisdiction of the United States. Puerto Rico’s value proposition offers an excellent combination of financial and operational advantages that include:

  • No United States federal income tax
  • Local Corporate income tax rate of seven percent
  • United States dollar and banking system
  • United States common law
  • Intellectual property protection
  • Easy access to United States mainland markets

While Puerto Rico is not likely to become the next Boston or San Francisco, in terms of pharmaceutical and biotechnology hubs, it certainly appears to be well-positioned to develop into the market leader within the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector during the coming years.

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