Export Institute: About 14% increase in life sciences exports in the first quarter to about 1.7 billion dollars

Ahead of the week of Biomed Israel 2010, Avi Hefetz, CEO of the Export Institute, says: The life sciences industry is exposed to a small extent to the crisis in the European Union and during this period it grew by about 23%.

"In the first quarter of 2010, the exports of the life sciences industry amounted to about 1.7 billion dollars, a dollar increase of about 14% compared to the same period last year. The increase is due to an increase in the export of the pharmaceutical industry at a rate of about 15.4% which amounted to about 1.3 billion dollars; In the field of medical and surgical equipment, there was an increase of about 7.5% and it amounted to about 306 million dollars. This is what Avi Hefetz, the Director General of the Export Institute, said, based on the analysis of the Economic Unit at the Export Institute, which he gathered for the week of "ILSI - Biomed Israel 2010", the main annual event of the life sciences industry in Israel that will be held next week - between June 14 and 16 at the David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv.

From the analysis of the export data of the life sciences branch by geographical distribution in the first quarter of 2010, it appears that about 68% of all exports, which amount to about 1.1 billion dollars, are directed to North America, a decrease of about 4% compared to the same period last year. Exports to the European Union amounted to about 346 million dollars, an increase of about 23% compared to the same period last year, the branch's exports make up about 21% of all exports. According to Avi Hefetz, CEO of the Export Institute: the life sciences branch, compared to other branches, is exposed to a small extent to the crisis in the European Union. Exports to South and Central America were about 2% of the total exports of the life sciences industry and amounted to about 32 million dollars, an increase of about 21% compared to the same period last year. Exports to Asia amounted to approximately 76 million dollars, an increase of approximately 19% compared to the same period last year, exports to Asia constitute approximately 4.5% of the industry's total exports. The industry's exports to Africa amounted to about 3.8 million dollars, and constituted only about 0.2% of all the industry's exports during this period.

It should be noted that in 2009 the exports of the life sciences industry amounted to about 6 billion dollars, a dollar decrease of about 8% compared to the same period last year. The decrease is due to a decrease in the export of pharmaceuticals by a rate of about 7%, which last year amounted to about 4.6 billion dollars. In the field of medical equipment and devices there was a decrease of about 13% and it amounted to about 1.4 billion dollars.

A geographical breakdown of the industry's exports in 2009 shows that about 71% of all exports, which amounted to about 4.3 billion dollars, were directed to North America. Exports to the European Union amounted to approximately 1.1 billion dollars, and accounted for 19% of the industry's total exports. Exports to South and Central America were about 2% of the entire life sciences industry and amounted to about 98 million dollars, exports to Asia amounted to about 289 million dollars, and constituted about 5% of the industry's total exports.

In the field of life sciences there are approximately 265 companies that exported over 100 thousand dollars in 2009: 31 exporters that exported an amount of over 10 million dollars, 47 exporters that exported an amount between 2 and 10 million dollars, and 187 small exporters that exported an amount between $100,000 to $2 million.