Matej Mikulic
Research expert covering health, pharma & medtech
Pharmaceutical market in the Philippines - statistics & facts
The Philippines is among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region with the highest out-of-pocket health expenditures, fueling a growing demand for affordable yet effective medicines. In 2024, household OOP payments represented 42.7 percent of all health spending—showing only a slight decline over the past decade. Much of this spending goes toward pharmacies and hospitals. To address this burden, the government has introduced Universal Health Coverage policies, including measures such as imposing price caps on medicines and expanding local pharmaceutical production.
The market’s supply side is dominated by multinational firms such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AstraZeneca, alongside local producers like Unilab and Pascual Laboratories. MNCs primarily market and distribute finished products as well as raw and intermediate materials while local pharmaceutical firms, by contrast, often play more diverse roles. As of August 2025, there were 278 registered drug manufacturers, with drugstores forming most licensed establishments.
Overview of the pharmaceutical landscape
The country’s pharmaceutical market is expanding, with total sales amounting to 258.8 billion Philippine pesos as of September 2023. Roughly 88 percent of these sales passed through retail drugstores, with the remainder coming from hospital-based outlets. Prescription or “ethical” medicines comprised about 70 percent of the market, while the rest were over-the-counter drugs.The market’s supply side is dominated by multinational firms such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AstraZeneca, alongside local producers like Unilab and Pascual Laboratories. MNCs primarily market and distribute finished products as well as raw and intermediate materials while local pharmaceutical firms, by contrast, often play more diverse roles. As of August 2025, there were 278 registered drug manufacturers, with drugstores forming most licensed establishments.
Imports, exports, and supply constraints
The Philippines heavily depends on imported pharmaceutical products and active ingredients, primarily from the United States, India, and Germany. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) needed for domestic drug manufacturing are mostly sourced from India, while local pharma production relies more on basic materials like sugar. The government also imports generic medicines to support Universal Health Care programs. However, the country’s pharmaceutical exports remain relatively small compared to imports, resulting in a persistent trade deficit.Outlook of the Philippines’ pharmaceutical industry
The Philippine pharmaceutical industry is expected to expand further, driven by government initiatives and incentives. Under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, foreign firms are encouraged to establish local manufacturing facilities through favorable tax incentives. While the Philippines still has one of the lowest numbers of pharmaceutical companies in Southeast Asia, the government aims to significantly boost local production—targeting 60 percent market share within the next decade.
