France

France is a country in western Europe that covers an area of 246,201 square miles and has a population of 66,616,416. Eighty-five percent of the population are white, 10 percent are North African, 3.5 percent are black, and 1.5 percent are Asian. France is generally considered to have one of the best health care systems in the world and has one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in Europe. France spends US$615 per capita on pharmaceuticals. That makes up 1.8 percent of its GDP.

The precursor to modern pharmaceuticals in most of Europe was herbalism and the apothecary. Herbalism gained its footing in France and in the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages when Benedictine monks were looked upon as the leaders of health care. These ...