With a fresh, business-minded administration in place, economic growth, a burgeoning middle class, and a greater openness towards cooperation between the public and private sectors, the fundamentals are there for Ecuador’s life sciences industry to shine. Medicine sales per capita are extremely high for Latin America and the dollarization of the economy is helping soothe investor nerves around currency depreciation. However, despite heavy investment in public health infrastructure projects, the country’s reputation for instability and insularity has tended to scare off potential investors.

Labyrinthine market access regulations persist and Ecuador lags behind it neighbors in terms of available medicines, but enterprising companies – domestic, regional and international – are beginning to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities available in the country.