IBSA Italia is part of the IBSA group that was founded in 1945 in Switzerland by a group of Swiss biologists as IBSA SA Institut Biochimique. It did not take long, and the company gained an excellent reputation on the international market.
In 2001, it established a subsidiary in Italy that today has 450 employees and a turnover of almost 150 million EUR. “IBSA Italia started as a small company with a turnover of five million EUR,” explains Managing Director Giorgio Pisani. “Especially the first years have been extremely dynamic. New production lines eventually allowed the production for both the group and third parties, which had a very positive impact on the company’s further development.”
In 2005, IBSA started restructuring its sales organization and established a new marketing structure. In 2010, it acquired Bouty Healthcare, a company specializing on distribution via pharmacies and retailers.
Due to these new distribution channels, IBSA had a significant growth spurt. In 2014, the company turned over 120 million EUR with an export share of 30%.
In 2016, it expects a further increase up to 160 million EUR. The driving force behind this dynamic development are products that are sold under IBSA’s own labels and as private labels.
IBSA concentrates on drugs used in dermatology, endocrinology, human reproduction, pain and inflammatory, respiratory, rheumatology and urology. Among its product highlights are innovative Flector® patches that are applied on the skin and that are unique on the market.
“Our Flector® patches contain diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body,” says Mr. Pisani. “It is effective in many diseases from muscular injuries to back pain. Diclofenac provides a prompt relieve from pain.”
IBSA developed Flector ® that is distributed by Bouty in Italy, Novartis in Germany and Pfizer in the United States. With iAluRil, IBSA developed another product highlight that comes in a pre-filled syringe and can be used for the treatment of the urinary tract.
“IBSA is well-known for medical devices that come in prefilled syringes,” states Mr. Pisani. “Here, we are the number one of the market. In the department of orthopaedics, for example, we introduced pre-filled syringes with hyaluronic acid for the treatment of arthrosis. Another example is the diclofenac sodium injection Akis or Dicloin that is used in the management of pain. Its subcutaneous administration has many advantages compared to the intramuscular delivery. It can easily be used at home for instance.”
Another strong IBSA focus is on human reproduction. “Due to many new technologies and products, more and more couples can realize their dream to become parents,” says Mr. Pisani. “We concentrate a lot on fertility hormones and introduced products such as Prolutex, a luteal hormone that prepares the lining of the uterus for the implantation of the embryo.”
All IBSA products are produced in the IBSA Group’s manufacturing plants. This way a total quality control is guaranteed. “Constant quality and affordable prices are main characteristics of IBSA,” underlines Mr. Pisani. “The entire production is located within the group. This way we have a great responsiveness. We have always believed in Italy’s potential, and we were right. We have continuously invested despite difficult political and economic conditions. Our loyalty towards our country has long been paid off. We are sure that we will continue our successful development in Italy and abroad.”
