Can you introduce Mastelli?

Mastelli is a 70-year-old Italian company based in Sanremo and is specialized in two molecules: Polynucleotide (PN) and Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN). All our products are based on these natural substances which have interesting regenerative features. We have full control of our supply chain, from the raw material (the fish’s gonad) to the finished product. Our products, elaborated in a small but modern plant, are distributed in Italy and in 30 other countries. Despite being a small company, we are focused on Research and Development (R&D), which is uncommon in Italy. Our future is defined by maintaining this leadership in R&D, but we are also progressively moving to a more business-oriented model to create value for us and for the patients.

Could you share more details about Mastelli’s portfolio?

Our portfolio covers three different areas: First, we provide different injectable solutions based on PN for aesthetic medicine. Secondly, we have a large portfolio in orthopedics for intraarticular tissue. Finally, we offer products for dermatology and gynecology, such as our antifungal Micoxolamina (ciclopirox olamine) and Plinest dermo-cosmetic line. Our legacy product is Placentex, a topical cicatrizant and anti-dystrophic drug with over 50 years of history.

What are Mastelli’s most important markets?

Italy is one of our main markets, but we are also present in several Eastern European countries including Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus, in some countries in the Gulf area, and in many Asian countries. We have an important partnership with a South Korean company and plan to expand further in Asia. We are also finalizing some distribution agreements for Germany, France and Spain, where we have no presence yet.

Can you highlight some recent investments of the company?

Our business model, which is based on having full control of the supply chain, requires continuous investments to modernize different parts of the production process. For instance, we recently introduced the business management software SAP to increase the control and effectiveness of our production. We also plan to make significant investments in the next three years to comply with GMP practices in Europe and Korea, to become certified by AIFA and MFDS (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety). Continuously investing in quality allows us to stay ahead of our competitors. We self-fund our investments, but we hope that for our future investments we can also access Italian and/or European funds.

What demand trends are you observing for your products?

Mastelli was negatively impacted by the pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, our presence in different countries and in chronic therapeutic areas such as dermatology, gynecology, as well as aesthetic medicine, allowed us to re-establish normal business numbers. Our aim is to grow in order to remain competitive in a very aggressive market dominated by Big Pharma. The most important growth areas will be aesthetic medicine, a rapidly growing market all over the world, and orthopedics. We will achieve this thanks to our unique alternative to hyaluronic acid as well as another product for the intraarticular tissue for knees and shoulders. We take a pharmaceutical, scientific-driven approach, starting with quality tests of our product before selling it, rather than the other way around - which happens often in this market.

What concrete objectives do you have for the next couple of years?

We plan to revamp and expand our core department, which produces PN and PDRN, to satisfy the growing demand. We are also restructuring the sampling room to increase our effectiveness and to create new space for other phases of production. Our plant is located in the mountainous area of Liguria, a rugged yet beautiful place, so we need to be very innovative to make use of the space in the smartest way.

Would you like to share a final message?

In the last three years, we managed to grow at least 30% each year. Our aim is to maintain this sustainable growth, achieving at least 20% growth each year. The potential of PN and PDRN is very high, as demonstrated by our extensive literature. While we want to maintain our base in Italy, we are ready to expand all over the world, to replicate the success in Italy. We are proud to be a family company, with three sisters holding key roles within the company. The key will be to combine tradition with innovation, involving a more diverse pool of managers with different experiences.