The initiatives also required the opinion of the Antitrust, which this afternoon gave a positive opinion on Farmindustria's decision. The other measures adopted by industrialists are also very serious: companies will in fact ask for social safety nets for the reduction of around 10,000 highly qualified employees in the areas of Research, Production and Scientific Information. “A painful decision – say the industrialists – and, in fact, suffered by companies that actually had 4,000/5,000 new hires planned in the short to medium term. In this way, both industrial investments in Research and Production for two billion euros and an increase in R&D expenses of the 30/35% in three years are compromised".
Not only. It was also decided to suspend the program agreements and the sector agreement presented to the Government in September. Furthermore, also the collaboration activities with the Regions, positively launched to support investment programs, will be reduced or canceled due to the lack of resources available to the industry. As for the 'stop' for conferences, it is a "temporary decision". Starting from 1 January 2007, the financing of travel and hospitality expenses, in Italy and abroad, on the occasion of conferences and congresses, visits by doctors to laboratories and company research centers and courses and Continuing Medical Education (CME) conferences. The Farmindustria Board explains its decisions in a note, after having “considered once again the unsustainability of the price cuts of over two billion euros in 2007 alone decided by AIFA and confirmed by the Finance Act charged to drug companies. A figure – they explain – forty times higher than the advantage of the tax wedge, which for the sector is equal to around 50 million euros. As if to say that the benefits of the tax wedge for pharmaceutical companies run out no later than January 20, while the costs weigh until December 31 ", they comment.
Therefore "in a framework that severely limits the competitive capacity of companies at an international level - they conclude - the Council thus had to take note of the inevitable activation by companies of measures necessary to rebalance the sector's prospects".
