Can you introduce Genetic?

Our success mainly comes from our research activities, our proprietary technology, and our extensive know-how which is applied to all our registered products. These factors give our products a superior quality reflected in the fact that many multinationals as well as medium-sized companies are interested in having Genetic’s licenses and in marketing our products in the countries where they operate.

What are Genetic’s main focus areas and what are the competitive advantages of your products?

We have a strong focus on high technology products, mostly for ophthalmology and for the respiratory areas, where we are specialized in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. Since the beginning, we have been focused on the production of preservative-free, sterile products, and we are one of the first companies in Italy to be able to complete drug serialization and aggregation for enhanced traceability.

Can you elaborate on some of your recent investments?

We have made substantial investments in the research and development of new respiratory and ophthalmic products, both generic-plus and originals. In fact, Genetic in the previous year invested in R&D about 6% of its annual revenues and we are planning to increase this percentage in the near future, arriving at about 10%. In the respiratory field, we have invested in four main technologies which include nasal sprays, nebulizers, Dry-Powder Inhalers (DPI) and Metered-Dose Inhalers (MDI). In ophthalmology, we have invested in three main technologies, which include the Blow Fill Seal  single-dose technology and the multi-dose technology with preservatives or preservative-free. Our investments are also directed towards our lab – to both quality control and R&D - where we currently have over 30 HPLCs  and 3 NGIs, besides many other technologies, for the development of drugs for the treatment of asthma, COPD and ophthalmology.

In addition, we are one of the only Italian companies able to offer serialization services for all European countries as well as  both serialization and aggregation  for the Russia market. The key challenge here is that serialization is not currently mandatory in Italy, while it is in almost all other European countries. Conversely, aggregation is not mandatory in European countries, but both serialization and aggregation are mandatory in Russia. Our company can be compliant to all these situations. 

How has Genetic’s international footprint evolved since its origins?

When Genetic was founded, the Italian market represented 100% of our business. Today, we are present in more than 30 countries, including most European countries, the UK,  Canada, Mexico, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia and South Korea. The Italian market is still very important for us, but we are constantly increasing our presence in foreign markets, reaching in previous periods more than 50%  of our business in exports. Our goal is to continue investing in R&D, expanding our international presence, entering new markets, and establishing long term partnerships with other outstanding pharma players for the benefit of patients worldwide.

How do you see the environment in Italy for CDMOs and what challenges need to be addressed?

Medium-sized companies dominate the Italian CDMO sector. They have superior flexibility compared to big companies, which allows them to constantly innovate and introduce new technologies. However,  greater support from state institutions is needed; reducing bureaucratic procedures is essential for the development of contract manufacturing companies. Furthermore, the development of pharma R&D companies should be incentivised through fiscal benefits to give them the possibility to invest more in new technologies,  new drugs developments and to further digitalize their processes.

What are Genetic’s priorities in the coming years?

The future growth of the company will come from the products and pharmaceutical dossiers we have recently developed and that have started registration in various countries. Our technologies will allow us to continue developing new pharmaceutical products. We expect the new R&D products we are currently developing will be ready next year, and to consolidate the important partnerships that we are building with our customers both in Italy and abroad.

There are currently great possibilities to succeed in scientific development and contract manufacturing. For this, it is necessary to have passion and dedication, and to be positive towards the future, never afraid to invest.