Servier, France's biggest independent drug maker, has gained a position among the top five pharmaceutical companies in Romania after it banked on cardiovascular products, given the rise in this type of disease over the past five years. The company launched operations on the Romanian market in 1992 and now has over 250 employees.
The maker of Preductal (cardiology), one of the best-selling drugs in Romania, is now preparing for new launches on the cardiovascular segment, the company's established area of business, and aims to advance its market share in an industry where competition for the top position is fiercer than ever.
"We filed the first application to register a product in 1989. It was a drug for diabetes. Three years later, the first man was hired in the team, and he's still working for us as a regulatory affairs manager. In 2005, we turned the office into a SRL (a limited liability company)- Servier Pharma," Olivier Vilagines, general manager of Servier Pharma Romania, said in his first interview with the Romanian press. Servier's Romanian portfolio now includes 14 products in medical fields such as cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, neuropsychiatry, osteoporosis, whilst the rate of launches stands at 3 per annum.
Olivier Vilagines, 41, came to the helm of the domestic activities of Servier in March 2007, after having worked on markets in the US, Latin America, South Africa, Italy and Russia. He is a pharmacist, who specialises in pharmaceutical management and marketing, and is the only foreigner in the producer's domestic team.
With turnover worth 3.5bn euros at a global level last year, Servier is the leader of the domestic cardiology market. The market share on this segment stands at 23%, in line with company data. In Romania, Servier has grown from 27 patients in 2000 to over 3,200 patients included in clinical studies in 2008. This year, the company wants to launch two products, both in the field of cardiology.
Given its current 5.75% market share and the growth rate it registers, the company could reach a 6% market share by yearend. In line with company data, Servier derived domestic turnover worth 73.9m euros last year.
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