1. Specialpharmaceuticals
PH:AFRICASTUDIO-FOTOLIA.COM
Strategic innovation, interna-
tionalization and capacity for
planning are the foundations lead-
ing Chiesi Farmaceutici, set up in
Parma in 1935 as a small family run
business, to become an Interna-
tional pharmaceuticals company,
known for the develop-
ment and sale of inno-
vative therapeutic solu-
tions. Chiesi medicines
and technology, now
distributed in over 65
countries, are the re-
sult of a continual work
of research and devel-
opment that has always
been conducted by the
group in its laborato-
ries. A basic principle
ranking Chiesi at the
top of Italian pharma-
Innovative therapeutic solutions
From a small family run business to an international pharmaceuticals company
ceutical companies for investment
in research and development in
the 2012 edition of the Eu Indus-
trial R&D Scoreboard drawn up by
the European Commission’s Joint
Research Centre on one thousand
European companies, as well as
being classified ninth amongst the
major domestic groups in all sec-
tors and twelfth amongst the Eu-
ropean pharmaceutical companies,
with over 169 million Euro invest-
ed in R&D in 2011. Operating in
five continents with 24 branches,
3 factories and 4 research centres,
the group employs over 3,800 peo-
ple in its production plants in Ita-
ly, Brazil and France, where Chie-
si Farmaceutici received the Prix
de l’investissement ital-
ien en France in June,
awarded to enterpris-
es having chosen to in-
vest in the country. The
company was granted
the award after build-
ing a new production
plant to make pow-
der inhalers, devel-
oped from Chiesi re-
search, to administer
medicines for treat-
ing chronic respiratory
pathologies.
Altergon Italia, a pharmaceutical
industry in Irpinia specialized in
the field of industrial biotechnologies,
has been investing in research and de-
velopment over the last few years to
promote its services in sectors such
as diagnostics. Two are its fields of de-
velopment: molecular genetics and
Ideas illuminating science
Molecular genetics and chemiluminescence, the new diagnostic frontier
chemiluminescence (automated ran-
dom access systems). With a specif-
ic project in Simest (Italian company
for enterprises abroad), the company
based in Morra de Sanctis set out to
conquer the Asiatic and Chinese mar-
kets, opening an office in the Qingdao
Bio-medical Park, one of the coun-
try’s biggest and most modern enter-
prise incubators in the biomedical
field. The object is to bring to Chi-
na standard diagnostic kits based on
“Elisa” technology as well as develop
the new chemiluminiscence frontier.
The decision was not made by chance
seeing that diagnostics is one of the
priority sectors in the Chinese gov-
ernment development plan. Whilst
another challenge concerns an exper-
imental project, based on Cgh array
technology, to detect genomic aber-
rations and screen genetic malforma-
tions before birth and before implan-
tation. GeosLab Srl works with them
on the project for the software part
and Technogenetics (Ibsa Group) for
marketing and servicing in laborato-
ries throughout the world. To support
this project Altergon has created in its
homeland a 600 sq m laboratory in the
new research and development tower
where technicians are already at work
in collaboration with the best universi-
ties and the “Bioscience” Technologi-
cal District research centre. .
Text by Giuseppe Chiusolo - Photo by Federico Iadarola
The new research and development tower
84 July 2013 PLATINUM