Pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and allied industries encompass companies operating in every province across Canada. It currently employs highly skilled and highly paid work force including doctors, chemists, scientists, biologists, microbiologists, engineers, and other professionals. Within the pharmaceutical industry, the brand-name sector employs approximately 20,000 people, bio-pharmaceutical firms employ about 7,000, and over 4,500 are employed by the generic drug manufacturers. In addition, pharmaceutical related activities provide opportunity for another 100,000 people nationally.