Farmindustria has published.
“Pharmaceutical Indicators 2022
“, the customary report highlighting the evolution and characteristics of the pharmaceutical industry in Italy and its continuing central role in the country’s health and economic recovery.
Marcello Cattani new president Farmindustria
News at the top of thethe association of Italian pharmaceutical companies, which unanimously elected
Marcello Cattani
new president for the two-year term 2022-2024.
A graduate in Biological Sciences with a biomolecular focus with a specialization in Food Chemistry and Technology from the University of Parma, Cattani has been president and CEO of Sanofi Italy and Malta since 2020.
In more than 20 years, he has held roles of increasing responsibility at the national and international level, gained in several leading biopharmaceutical companies worldwide.
The excellence of the pharmaceutical sector in Italy
In the course of his report “Being Competitive in Europe. Scenarios of pharmaceuticals.” presented in Rome on July 7 during the public assembly of Farmindustria, Cattani highlighted the excellence of the Italian pharmaceutical sector, pointing out that “with 34.4 billion euros of production in 2021 and 67,000 employees, together with Germany and France Italy is in the top group in the EU (14 percent of the total).
Holding of the pharmaceutical industry between 2020 and 2021
The value of production in 2021 of the pharmaceutical industry was 34.4 billion, as we said, a stable figure compared to 2020 that highlights how even in a very difficult environment Italian companies in the sector continue not only to ensure adequate answers to patients’ demand for health, but also to invest and increase the number of employees in the sector.
Rapid start of the pharmaceutical sector in 2022
While 2020 and 2021 witnessed the pharmaceutical industry holding its own, 2022 saw a fast start for the sector, with the first four months marking an 8 percent growth in production, driven by exports, despite strains caused by increases in raw material procurement costs.
In a scenario in which global competition is constantly increasing both among macro-areas and within the European Union, in order for Italy to maintain and increase its industrial value in the sector, it is necessary to establish a framework of rules that recognizes pharmaceuticals as a strategic sector of the country’s economy.
The pandemic effects on reshoring for pharmaceuticals.
The exponential increase in the costs of raw materials and their transportation have put the focus of industry associations on the possibility of returning the production of APIs and finished medicines to Europe.
The 2021 edition of the
“Observatory on the Generic Drug System”
, conducted by Nomisma for Egualia, analyzed in detail the strong dependence on the import of active ingredients and pharmaceutical excipients from non-EU countries.
For this reason. “one of the primary objectives of the new European Pharmaceutical Strategy aims to diversify production and supply chains, promoting manufacturing investment within the Union,” said Lucio Poma, Nomisma Chief Economist and scientific coordinator of the study, during the presentation of the results.
To make reshoring possible, the study points out that “urgent and radical national and European action” is needed, specifying that a “concrete proposal is to extend the duration of the Temporary Framework on State Aid, granted to combat the pandemic, well beyond the current limit in order to have an adequate time frame for the implementation of medium-term structural actions.”
Investment in Technology and R&D of the pharmaceutical industry in Italy
Regarding research and development, the report shows that in 2021 drug companies invested 1.7 billion euros, a figure that corresponds to 6.3 percent of total investment in Italy, equivalent to a growth of 14.3 percent considering the last 5 years (+2.7 percent on average per year).
Expenditure on R&D by the pharmaceutical industry is found to be 16.9 percent of value added, which is significantly higher than the average of medium-high-tech sectors (11.3 percent) and the manufacturing industry (5.5 percent).
The pharmaceutical industry can also boast the highest share of innovative companies (about 90 percent) and the highest expenditure on innovation per employee, about 3 times higher than the average for the manufacturing industry.