Complexity and challenges. They are two keywords, two sides of the same medal that the pharmaceutical industry is facing. If on the one hand the future is destined to propose increasingly targeted therapies And therefore it must ride innovation, through ecosystems that can always better encourage the transition from research to the patient, it is necessary to continue to commit. All this, in a logic of continuous development that passes through Important and sustainable investments. This can be summarized, starting from the 2024 data presented yesterday in Florence, the vision of the pharmaceutical company Menarini.
What the figures say
17,800 employees in the world, 18 production plants In Italy, Spain and Germany, 9 Research centers And development from New York to Singapore. The numbers alone speak of the value of the group, which last year, despite the difficulties of an increasingly complex system, has exceeded for the first time altitude 4.6 billion euros in turnoverwith a growth of 5.2% compared to the previous year and an Ebitda between 430 and 460 million. To remark it was Lucia Aleotti, shareholder of the main Italian pharmaceutical company, who presented the information together with the CEO Elcin Barker Ergun.
Present in 140 countries, the company has seen significantly grow turnover in the USAthanks to the growth recorded in the oncological area and more generally to development in Primary and Secondary Care, historical areas of the group’s commitment. Thanks to this positive trend, it was possible to face the natural expiry of the patent for two drugs, which led to the loss of approximately 300 million euros in turnover on an annual scale.
For the future, we aim to replicate this growth even in the current year, through a model that does not provide for the distribution of dividends but rather the reinvestment of all profits in the company. This involves theself -financing also for research activities. Every year it is more or less than half a billion euros, more than 11% of turnover.
Present and future
The commitment in the blood-oncological area appears extremely important for the group. There are several drugs in the pipeline, for potential uses in areas such as the myelophibrosis and the myelomaand for two years the drug has been available in the USA Elacestrantfor the treatment of Metastatic breast cancer. In Italy the green traffic light of AIFA is expected, although the drug has already been provided in some centers for compassionate use. Elacestrant was the tow For the financial success of the group in the USA and today it is evaluated in clinical studies in association with other therapies, with interesting development possibilities.
At this point, a data in a political key is a must. The anticancer drug is produced in the USA and therefore it shouldn’t have repercussions from any policies relating to duties against Europe by the Trump Administration.
But let’s go back to research. Obviously they do not remain behind, in this key, historical sectors for the company starting from that cardiovascular. In this sense, the development path goes, now near the registration by the regulatory institutions, of Obicetrapibwhich will be indicated for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia with specific action on LDL cholesterol, the defined one bad. Several clinical studies have shown the value of this therapy In subjects who do not get the desired targets with the treatment of maximum dosage statins. The announcement announced is that of a next application for registration to the European drug agency.
It doesn’t even stop the antibiotics searchalways at the center of the attention of the company. The theme is of great interest considering how much antimicrobial-state is becoming an increasingly significant problem for healthcare. Unfortunately in this area in the face of the commitment of the research it is difficult to see an exit route for an increasingly appropriate use of these life -saving therapies.
According to the report of the Italian drug agency, consumption grew by over 5% in 2023. In a planet that encounters antibiotic-resistance as one of the most important problems to approach, given the data on deaths linked precisely to the difficulty of processing infection caused by bacteria that no longer respond to therapies, we are faced with truly worrying perspectives. And you return at the beginning. The complexity proposes important challenges to be dealt with also thanks to the optimal use of‘Artificial intelligence in clinical studies and in the development of new opportunities for future care.
