Lorenzin: "Health care is not only a public cost but above all an economic value". In the Pontine plant the drug against hepatitis C
Roberta Cerina – 02/17/2015 – Corriere di Latina.it
The economic growth and development of a country pass through research and innovation also and above all in the medical and health fields. This is the common thread that concerned the round table that took place this morning at the Latina site of Janssen, which was attended by the Minister of Health Beatrice Lorenzin, the president of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti, the president and managing director of Janssen Italia and president of Farmindustria, Massimo Scaccabarozzi, Luca Russo director of the Borgo San Michele site, Luca Pani of Aifa and representatives of the political, institutional and scientific world.
THE MEETING An important project that sees the pharmaceutical site in Latina as the protagonist of a great conquest for the health of citizens thanks to the production of the drug for hepatitis C, which is already being distributed. An important step forward that has been taken - explained the director of the Latina site - putting the value of people at the center, encouraging the development of talents and skills that have seen the corporate group establish itself over the course of 32 years of activity and grow up to the last important milestone which sees the site committed to investing 80 million euros in the Latina area over the next five years.
THE INTERVENTION OF MINISTER LORENZIN "I believe that the pharmaceutical sector and the entire supply chain that crosses this area are a fundamental tool for making the Italian system grow - said Minister Lorenzin in his speech at the round table on 17 February in Latina - currently our country is in second placed in Europe as an industrial production and I think there are the fundamental requisites for it to rise further, bringing three important benefits: the first is for the user, the citizen who has access to a range of advanced medicines, the second is linked to the real possibility of enhance the country with a high-level training course that allows for a system, not only production, but research, promoting economic industrial development, finally, the third benefit is that of not letting Italian industries slip away, Italy believes in 'industry, we are agriculture and art, but without industry – concluded Lorenzin – we cannot be competitive with the rest of the world. To do all this we need to change the way we see things, health care is not only a public cost, but also and above all an economic value, which can return the fruits of a work plan and targeted interventions over the next few years, as in case of the Health Pact".
THE COMPANY'S COMMITMENT The Janssen site in Latina represents a virtuous example in the national industrial panorama and in the Lazio region, in contrast with a scenario characterized by the contraction of production and research presences "There are several factors that combine to make Italy a competitive country and attract investments, as in the case of the Latina plant” – affirms Massimo Scaccabarozzi, President and CEO of Janssen Italia and President of Farmindustria – “These are important trump cards that Janssen has been able to grasp and exploit, also for the correspondence between the work culture of this area and its commitment to innovation, the professional growth of collaborators and attention to environmental sustainability. But if we want to encourage this growth - concludes Scaccabarozzi - incisive political actions are needed that go in the direction of improving access to new medicines, with rapid access and due recognition to new innovative medicines, and at the same time making procedures more efficient , in order to enhance the industrial presence in the country. Finally, a new approach by the Institutions - Government and Regions - of greater attention and sensitivity towards drug companies must be recognized. It is essential to recognize that drugs are an efficiency tool for the entire welfare system and must be evaluated for the savings they generate for the NHS and social welfare expenditure".
THE ALARM FOR CUTS LAUNCHED BY ZINGARETTI The president of the Lazio region Zingaretti highlighted the real risk that the continuous cuts to regional funds imposed by the government could increasingly weaken and affect the health system and therefore the right of citizens to decent and efficient health care. "It is necessary to open a discussion on the quality and quantity of public spending and on the health service to look at the next 20 years - said Zingaretti - in a broader framework of views that focus on the territory, on tourism, we must defend the leading sectors to return to growth, the ruling class must begin to understand that there are unproductive portions of public spending that can be attacked and others that must be safeguarded”.
THE SITE OF LATINA In the last 5 years, the Italian center has received investments of 100 million euros, which have led to an expansion of 3,000 square meters and an increase in production capacity, which has more than doubled, from 1.8 billion tablets per year in 2010, to 4 billion in 2015. The investment plan provides for another 80 million euros over the next 6 years, which will bring the total amount to 180 million euros in about 10 years, from 2010 to 2021. The investments will be aimed at making and raise the technological level of production processes. “The Latina production site has seen constant evolution over the years. Born in the early 80s, today it covers an area of 136 thousand square meters, boasts a history of innovation and competitiveness that have always been a key point of our business - says Luca Russo, Director of the Janssen Site of Latina – saw an expansion of 3,000 square meters, with an increase in employment of around 300 people, reaching the current 650 collaborators, in addition to 250 in related industries. The occupation is highly specialized: half of our employees are university graduates and the other half have a diploma”.
Pharmaceutical. Scaccabarozzi: sector alive, investments and recruitments restart
In Italy, the pharmaceutical sector is a lively sector, in which investments and hiring are restarting and which records an increase in exports equal to 20%, between December 2013 and December 2014. To say it is Massimo Scaccabarozzi, president of Farmindustria, on the occasion of the conference "Investing in health to relaunch the economy" held in Latina at the Janssen Italia production center of which he is president and managing director.
"There are several factors that combine to make Italy a competitive country and to attract investments" said Scaccabarozzi but added: "If we want to encourage this growth, incisive political actions are needed that go in the direction of improving access to new drugs, with rapid access and due recognition to new innovative drugs, and at the same time making procedures more efficient, so as to enhance the industrial presence in the country.
Finally, a new approach by the Institutions - Government and important Regions - of greater attention and sensitivity towards drug companies must be recognized. It is essential to recognize that drugs are an efficiency tool for the entire welfare system and must be evaluated for the savings they generate for the NHS and social welfare spending".
Simona Zazzetta – Wednesday, 18 February 2015 – Pharmacist33
+20% PHARMACEUTICAL EXPORT
“The new data is that in December, compared to December 2013, the pharmaceutical industry recorded +20% in exports while in one year the result grew by 6%. Overall, the manufacturing industry scored +6% and +2%. Hiring and production have restarted. Thanks to the stability that has been given to us, we have seen a restart”. This was stated by the president of Farmindustria Massimo Scaccabarozzi, in Latina during an event at Janssen, the company he leads as president and CEO. “It is madness – he added – to say that you want to cut the National Health Fund and the Minister of Health is trying to defend it. Do we realize what it means not to have a Fund available which could perhaps delay the arrival of a new therapy, even causing deaths?”, he concluded.
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