Ozone forecasts 35m euros for 2005

Drug maker Ozone Laboratories, a British-owned company, estimates its business will grow by 300% next year to a total of 35 million euros. “The growth is based on the broadening of the portfolio of products sold on the market, as well as on the overall market expansion,” explained Dan Schiop, Ozone’s general manager. In order to expand its drug portfolio, Ozone will establish a bioequivalence centre that will allow it to launch generic drugs (not protected by patent), in a relatively short time. By internalising the bioequivalence studies, the company intends to improve the efficiency of launching new products, which in some cases can take up to 24 months. “The necessity of creating our own bioequivalence centre is also due to legal requirements which specify that if bioequivalence studies are not performed for drugs that require them by 2006, they will have to be withdrawn from the market,” said Schiopu. ZF