The Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller (vfa) or Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, is the trade group of 43 pharmaceutical companies in Germany which are global players, representing more than two-thirds of the German pharmaceutical market, with nearly 80,000 employees in Germany. In Germany more than 18,000 of their employees work in the field of research and development of pharmaceuticals. The vfa's focus has been on political consulting and public relations on the national and EU-level.