Pharmaceuticals in Berlin

Dear pharmacists, chemists, product managers, process optimisation specialists and colleagues, Berlin’s pharmaceutical industry has a wide range of professions: all professions that are concerned with developing, manufacturing and marketing medicinal products, such as finished drugs, vaccines and gene therapies, for example. 

More than 30 pharmaceutical companies are based in the capital region, with 11,000 employees, generating around 13 percent of the pharmaceutical industry’s national revenue. The significance of this location is attributable to the proximity of the capital’s excellent biotech scene, close networking of science and research and good infrastructure. 130 clinics have direct links to the region’s large and medium-sized firms. Compared to the rest of the country, Berlin is number one when it comes to clinical trials.

As well as job opportunities in industry and science, sector-specific networks and associations are also potential employers. For example, BPI Bundesverband der Pharmazeutischen Industrie e.V., Verband Forschenden Arzneimittelherstellern e.V. and Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. all have subsidiaries here in Berlin. You can find more Berlin and Brandenburg companies in the field of pharmaceuticals in our overview! Begin your job search now! It will be worth your while.

Berlin’s pharmaceutical industry specialises in research rather than production. Research is conducted at Berlin’s universities and colleges, non-academic research institutions, such as the Max Delbrück Center and the Leibniz Association for example, and six technology parks focusing on life sciences. The priorities are cancer, as well as metabolic and cardio-vascular disease.

Many of Berlin’s pharmaceutical companies are also working on new methods and approaches to combating diseases. The corporate landscape is characterised by a high number of global players and more than 20 medium-sized pharma businesses. These global players include BAYER AG, Berlin-Chemie and Sanofi. The research priorities include small-molecule drugs, oncology and diabetes. Other potential employers are Berlin’s medium-sized pharmaceutical firms, such as Aristo Pharma, Klosterfrau Berlin and Next-Pharma.

Two Berlin colleges and universities educate the next generation of pharmacists. Freie Universität Berlin specialises in pharmaceutical research and pharmacy. Other biotechnology and life science courses are also offered by the leading institution TU Berlin.