c
ith over 3 billion a year in turnover, almost 10 thousand employees and over 85% of production destined for export (40% in the USA), the pharmaceutical raw materials sector in Italy has long been a world leader. However, the primacy has recently passed to India, favored above all by a less stringent regulatory framework that allows for a highly competitive pricing policy, which has attracted international customers.
This is what emerged from the annual Forum of Aschimfarma, the Federchimica association of companies producing raw materials and intermediates for the sector. «Now, however, the big names in Pharma have abandoned them – explained Gian Mario Baccalini, president of Aschimfarma – they have come back to us, they ask us for very important medium-long term contracts, both in the world of generics and of innovative drugs, we need a political system that supports us because we are fairly unknown but we bill more than tools in Italy".
«We ask for political and institutional support - continued Baccalini - We now have great opportunities, the market is returning to us and we cannot miss this opportunity, because manufacturing is no longer an activity of big pharma, it will be our activity, the production it is no longer an activity they want to do and Italy is recognized as a productive excellence».
Meanwhile, mergers are in the offing in the industry. "Private equity is watching carefully, they are investing because in this sector the critical mass will be increasingly important - explained Baccalini - and the big names in Pharma are also watching us and are starting to think about making acquisitions in Italy".
Marco Malagutti
Wednesday, 01 April 2015 – Pharmacist33
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