Berlin-Chemie to make drugs in Romania

German pharmaceutical company Berlin-Chemie, part of the Italian Menarini Group is planning to start producing drugs in Romania. It will begin by producing one of its diabetes drugs, Siofor. The company will not have its own productive facility, but will team up with a Romanian producer instead. “We are now in talks with three potential partners: Europharm Brasov (controlled by UK’s GlaxoSmithKline – i.e.), Labormed and Sindan. We feel having the drug made in Romania will positively impact on its price, which will benefit both us and the healthcare system,” Dragos Damian, general manager of Berlin-Chemie Romania told Ziarul Financiar. Damian added that producing Siofor in Romania could be but a first step, with the company planning to expand its portfolio of products made in Romania. Berlin-Chemie Romania is not one of the top players on the Romanian drug market, but has seen spectacular growth in sales over the last two years. Turnover has gone up from $3.5 million in 2000 to $6 million in 2001 and to about $9 million last year. The company’s market share has therefore increased from 0.8% in 2000 to 1.5% in 2002. ZF