Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008 - (Page 20)

Sutton Pharmaceutical companies are constantly searching for locations that offer more opportunities and greater financial benefits — recently there has been much interest in Asia and the Far East. Croatia offers similar low-costs, but boasts a more prominent and inviting geographical position (Figure 3). Located in the centre of Europe, it provides a direct gateway, not only to the EU market, but also to south east Europe, as Croatia is a member of the Central European Free Trade Association — giving access to 650 million consumers. The location is additionally complimented by Croatia’s state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure of highways, airports, railway networks and seaport connections. The railroads are part of the European rail network, proving the excellent geographic position, and the country also possesses the most modern ICT infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. The fixed telecommunications network is 100% digitalized and Croatia is the pioneer in the field of WiMax, the telecommunications technology that provides wireless data over long distances. Croatian pharma The country’s pharmaceutical industry has a long tradition. Currently, the market consists of the prescription drug market (78%) and the over-the-counter market (22%). Generic drugs represent 70% of the total market value, as branded drugs are rarely launched in the country. Registration of these drugs lasts less than 9 months but, as negotiations on EU accession progress, the registration process and overall regulatory environment will be aligned with EU standards. The country has also implemented a national strategy for developing intellectual property systems, which will provide protection comparable to EU level. Figure 4 shows the overall market share of the top pharmaceutical companies in the country. The major Croatian pharmaceutical companies are Pliva, Belupo (Koprivnica) and Jadran Galenski Laboratorij (Rijeka [JGL]). Now a subsidiary of US-based Barr Pharmaceuticals, and serving as the European headquarters of the Barr Group, Pliva has more than 85 years of experience in pharmaceuticals and is the leading Central and Eastern European pharmaceutical company. One of its first major successes was in 1980 when a team of the company’s researchers discovered azithromycin. Marketed in Eastern Europe under the name Sumamed, azithromycin was licensed to Pfizer for marketing in western Europe and the US under the name Zithromax, where it became one of the top selling antibiotics. Pliva’s activities in the last year include several transactions — most notably the acquirement of German-based oncology company O.R.C.A.pharm GmbH, which will enable it to enter the oncology business in Germany. The company also began construction of a new multiproduct biotech facility in Savski Marof near Zagreb — an investment of approximately €13 million. Although much smaller, Belupo and JGL have also had success in the pharmaceutical market. Belupo, the country’s second largest manufacturer of medicines, has a 36-year tradition and leads the Croatian market in sales of cardiovascular drugs, with a 25% share of the market and a 50% share of the domestic market for the ACE-inhibitor sub-group (antihypertensive). The company has Figure 3 Croatia’s location and infrastructure. Highway In preparation Railroads 20 JANUARY 2008 PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGIST

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Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008 Contents Editor's Comment News Morpheus Market Watch Lagging Japanese Drug R&D Croatia’s Innovation Integrating PAT with Biopharmaceutical Development and Manufacture Q&A

Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008

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