When PharmaBoardroom came to Portugal in 2007, price cuts, payment delays and changes to the health system with each successive government were but the first indications for the pharmaceutical sector that troubled times were ahead: four decades of political and financial mismanagement had resulted in Portugal’s economic stagnation. When…

Between Portugal’s two main distribution channels of hospitals and pharmacies, hospitals have suffered in particular. As the pharmaceutical industry’s largest customer, it has been critical for government to work with pharmaceutical companies to find solutions. Robin Turner, general manager of Roche Portugal, likens the relationship of the industry with the…

Basic Research “If you look at the cuts in the public sector, the science budget has been relatively lightly touched. This sends a signal at a very high level that science, the knowledge economy, and the smart training of people are very important for our economic recovery,” says Mark Ferguson, Director General,…

investment Cormac Callaghan, founder and managing director of Primecore, a portfolio and program management consultancy based in Dublin and Cambridge, Massachusetts, has managed large-scale change programs for the pharmaceutical industry for the better part of 30 years. He has seen his share of setbacks: between 2006 and 2008, Callaghan was the…

Bavarian Nordic   If there is one thing that successful Danish companies have in common with one another, it is the clear recognition of abundant opportunities outside the motherland. “Danish companies’ strengths lie in their ability to build on what they have inherited from Denmark but to also look outward and be…

Ireland   What makes Ireland attractive for FDI? As the former general manager of Genzyme’s Waterford site, Pat O’Sullivan explains that a longstanding 12.5% corporate tax rate (that isn’t going anywhere) is one factor, but it doesn’t end there. Talent: “The first factor is the excellence of the workforce, which is…

Contract Manufacturing Lilly set up in Ireland three decades ago by purchasing a farm. In its early days, the operation produced intermediaries for small-molecule drugs. Nearby, Pfizer was manufacturing citric acid for soft drinks. The country was a fledgling industrial economy that was still mostly reliant on sectors like agriculture and fishing.…

Contract Manufacturing It is widely acknowledged that pharmaceutical manufacturing operations have entered into a period of significant cost reduction. Service providers like Dalkia—a French energy services company that has built its Irish business upon serving the pharmaceutical sector—have had to help clients cope. Dalkia Ireland’s managing director Pat Gilroy remembers his years…

FDI “The government’s vision has always been for indigenous companies to develop from the expertise brought in by FDI—and we are seeing that happening now.” Joe Costello, Minister for Trade & Development FDI into Ireland has created a feedstock for the indigenous ecosystem: raising the bar for standards and technology, contributing…

Ireland   “The elements that have made Ireland attractive for decades are still here. The big difference since 2007, however, is the cost base. If you are building a pharma plant in Ireland today, it will cost 35 to 40 percent less than it did six years ago,” says Barry O’Leary,…

Denmark “The Nordic region—the ‘quiet North’ as it could have been called—counterbalances the turbulence in Southern Europe,” says Zinta Krumins, managing director Nordics, Boehringer Ingelheim, when asked about the relevance of the Nordics to the company. “The Nordics is a very stable region, with small but reasonable growth prospects, very good…

Austria   Historically, Austria was the dominant political power in Central Europe under the Habsburg dynasty which ruled until World War I. Although the 20th century has been marked by significant shake ups and power shifts between countries in Europe, Austria remains today a key strategic market thanks to its steady economic…