The Dominican pharmaceutical industry will take a big step forward as soon as the USFDA (Food and Drug Administration of the United States) gives its stamp of approval to the preliminary “pre-approval” of Magnachem Laboratories. Such an important approval would allow the Dominican firm to begin exports to the US. Another local company, Laboratorios LAM is just about finished with its review process and expects to begin exports shortly. The FDA inspections will allow the local companies to take advantage of the upcoming start of the DR-CAFTA agreements. Local experts are looking at obtaining part of the US$32 billion market share in pharmaceuticals that Puerto Rico sends to the US each year, and much of which could be manufactured in the DR in co-ventures with the Puerto Ricans. Current DR exports of pharmaceuticals totals less than one million dollars.