Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008 - (Page 23)

Prior to starting your company in 1984, you were working as a pharmacist in Diyarbaklr. How were you able to introduce your know-how to the pharmaceutical market? When I moved the Beran Laboratory to Istanbul, I told myself, “Look, this is Istanbul. It’s not like Diyarbaklr. It’s a lot more difficult here, so what can I do to stand out from the others?” I told myself I should do things small and simple, things that no one has thought of and that no one has done before. At first, I made serum fizyolojik (physiological saline) nasal drop. I was also bringing zinc tablets from abroad for my son, who lacked zinc in his body. So I started to produce zinc tablets and syrup for children when I realised there was a big need for them in Turkey. We are now selling millions of boxes of those products and we are the leading company for zinc. At least 5 million children get their zinc needs from our products. Our company also made the first TV ad in Turkey for fish oil. It doesn’t smell bad — very original! Now it is our number one product. Children love it because it tastes good. How were you able to penetrate the market so quickly? We have 200 medical representatives and management offices in 10 areas. In each office we have two managers and each manager is responsible for two main products; one group works on food supplements and the other on medicines. Basically, we are bringing new ideas and technology to Turkey. We invigorate fish oil (omega) with consolidation products according to their benefits — for instance, Omega3 with Gingko Biloba. We fill hard capsules with fluid instead of soft gelatins. If we can fill capsules with fish oil, let’s combine it with phytotheraphy products like ginkgo biloba, which helps brain functions. We mix folic acid, omega oil and garlic for cholesterol. in Lebanon and we are trying to open franchises in seven other countries. We’re trying to start in the Middle East market, but we have just started making these plans. To boost your rate of growth and have access to investment opportunities, how much does a merger or acquisition make sense for Berko Ilaç? We have already attracted global attention; some top European companies have started to contact us. But I don’t really think of selling because we want to make this a global company from Diyarbaklr. What I want is to start a partnership and make Berko a company that can stand in the big global market. We understand you’ve expanded to Romania with a sales and marketing team. Yes, we have 18 licenses for our products over there and we are trying to get more. Your sales have increased remarkably in a short period of time, from $4 million in 2003 to more than £25 million in 2007. What is your vision for sustaining growth in the next five years? I see my company as a multinational company. I’m willing to take losses in Romania every month because I want to Any other expansions in the works? Yes, we struck an agreement in early July reach this goal. I’ll reach it though through partnerships. What I need is new technology and if there are companies that can bring this to my company, and present opportunities to go overseas, then they are welcome. I want what’s for my country and for the company. I want to grow and I am always looking forward. 37 Last words Who said what in pharma’s last four weeks 3 News The monthly round-up of European stories 6 Calendar Upcoming events in Europe and around the world 7 BioFutures Gerhard Symons on the dark side of Russian healthcare

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008 Contents News and Analysis Calendar BioFutures Strategy Fundamentals Executive Recruitment: Small Company, Big Career Executive Recruitment: Instant Pharma Named Patient Programmes Executive Review: Turkey

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.