Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008 - (Page 35)

products should we expect to see in the future? Our investment in research and development is really significant. Thus, we have a good stream of products coming from our pipeline. What is important for us, though, is not the number of products that we launch every year but the introduction of products that are the first generics of the original product and that will be leaders in their segments. So the number of new products varies each year. packs — of the Silivri site, are you thinking about contract manufacturing? Contract manufacturing is an option provided it contributes to our overall strategy of increasing our exports and creating additional value for Turkey’s exports. Therefore, we evaluate each opportunity individually. Umur Südekan, general manager, Biofarma You have recently shifted your focus to niche therapeutics such as antidepressants and high-tech oncologicals. Please explain your transition. There is a lot of competition in the cardiology or antibiotic aspects and what we are trying to do is maintain a highvalue product in the niche market. No, it is not easier to obtain the licenses in these niche areas. But since there is less competition, it is easier to become the number one or two player. Since marketing and sales are one of your strengths, how important is it to you to establish a marketing presence in foreign territories? Sanovel’s vision is to be a global player with its own brands and patented formulations. That is why we are working very hard to establish such a presence in markets outside Turkey. You’ve increased your capabilities for the Turkish market, but what about abroad? In line with our global expansion, we have established a holding company in Holland with subsidiaries in Germany and France. We plan to be present in European Union countries with a selected number of our own products and our field force in 2010. We also already have our branch offices in CIS countries — Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. By the end of the year, we will have started in Russia and Ukraine. What is your opinion on expanding Turkish government protection for local pharmaceutical companies? Although globalisation helps patients have easier access to all kinds of pharmaceuticals, a strong local pharmaceutical industry will always be a must for each country because it has strategic importance. That is true for Turkey and for other countries. You are already exporting to 14 countries and will be exporting to 13 new countries by the end of 2009. Given this elevated attention to foreign markets, will you be following the lead of companies such as Mustafa Nevzat and bringing niche products to huge markets like the US? In order to enter the US market, you need to have both your facilities and Considering the enormous production capacity — half a billion 37 Last words Who said what in pharma’s last four weeks your dossiers approved by the FDA, which is a tough and expensive process. Yet, we’ve accomplished this by having approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, so we can also manage to get FDA approval. 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

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