Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008 - (Page EC6)

Business Focus: Turkey Review Berko Ilaç: Success in small and simple Before founding his company in 1984, Berat Beran was selling antiparasitic products and orthopedic shoes to neighbouring pharmacies and mixing chemicals in his laboratory in southeast Turkey. He applied this homespun, innovative spirit in Istanbul with Berko Ilaç, Turkey’s archetype of the notable advances by local drug makers in recent years. Since 2003, Berko has grown from a $4 million to a $25 million company in 2007, relying on a predominantly over-the-counter product portfolio: vitamins, minerals, nasal sprays and its zinc products. It has carved its place in the industry by putting a new spin on old remedies, combining fish oil with gingko biloba or mixing folic acid, omega oil and garlic for lowering cholesterol. “In this market, I told myself I should do things small and simple, things that no one has thought of and that no one has done before,” says Beran. Berko has 18 products registered in Romania through its sales and marketing team and agreed in July to create a subsidiary in Lebanon. It has ambitious growth targets: a new production site in 3 years with an annual capacity of 60 million bottles; toll-manufacturing agreements with European companies; and sales and marketing franchises in seven additional foreign markets. “I see ourselves as a multinational company; this is my ideal,” says Beran, the company’s chairman of the board. “Through partnerships I’ll go for it and I’ll reach my goal.” Bell Holding: A nexus in pharma For the past 50 years, Bell Holding has set the gold standard in packaging. Among the nine companies operating within this B2B group, four specialize in industrial packaging: Interkap, Senapa Stampa, Metalum and Perfektüp. The group’s clients include nearly every pharmaceutical manufacturer in Turkey listed by IMS. “One of the cornerstones of our strategy is to nurture relationships with pharmaceutical companies and stay close and attentive to their evolving needs,” says Livio Manzini, Bell Holding’s chairman and CEO. Industrial packaging accounted for $75 million of Bell Holding’s sales in 2007, and Manzini expects revenues to double within 5 years. The group leader, Perfektüp, Turkey’s main supplier of collapsible aluminum tubes, is Bell Holding’s most global player, which exports half of its production. Since last March, Bell Holding has also offered contract sales services to manufacturers through a joint venture with Innovex. Applying the group’s start-up expertise and its vast network in Turkish pharmaceuticals, Innovex has already acquired seven clients and 150 sales reps, and it aims to build a sales force of 1000 by 2010. The joint venture provides drug makers with product registration and human resources services, health management solutions and the core activity, contract sales. “For any pharma company that may want to come to Turkey and establish its presence, this service is obviously precious,” says Manzini. 6 OCTOBER 2008 PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE EUROPE http://www.berko.tr http://www.berko.tr

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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