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Global pharma markets are stagnating. Europe is constrained by price caps with flat growth, the US by reimbursement politics, and Latin...

Vietnam offers EU pharma firms a rare structural advantage: EU-GMP quality is rewarded with higher-tier pricing and EVFTA tariff relief. But success is rarely about dossiers alone. Hospitals impose strict shelf-life and labeling rules, tenders fragment across regions, and distributors often overpromise volumes they cannot deliver. Winning in Vietnam means mastering execution, not chasing forecasts.

Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar often tempt EU pharma companies as easy add-ons to ASEAN expansion. Together, they represent ~85 million people, but low spend, fragmented distribution, and volatile regulation make them high-friction markets. Success depends on niche portfolios, strong distributors, and treating them as extensions of regional hubs—not standalones. For the prepared, they add optional upside; for the unprepared, they drain resources.

Market access in the Philippines is not built on optimism—it rewards careful preparation. With 115 million people across 7,641 islands, the country offers demand but exposes every weakness in execution. Centralized procurement, strict price ceilings, consolidating retail chains, and complex logistics mean only companies that prepare portfolios and partnerships strategically can build a defendable, profitable presence.

Thailand’s local BE requirement may look like a costly gate, but for those willing to invest it becomes a competitive moat. While timelines and budgets are significant, fewer entrants mean slower price erosion and longer monetization windows. With the right portfolio choices and partner alignment, what appears as a barrier transforms into a strategic advantage.