A word with...
INTERVIEW
ANTONIO MAGNELLI
SIMONA FUGAZZA
BIANCA SQUEGLIA
President
Executive Director
Executive Director
EU Commercial
& General Manager
& General Manager
Operations
Monza Site
Ferentino Site
Patheon Italia
Nurture client partnerships towards sustained growth is the goal
Patheon Italia S.p.A. is the Italian subsidiary of DPx Holdings BV,
an Amsterdam-based NewCo and Headquarters in Durham, NC
(USA ), that today has a 2 billion dollar annual revenue, divided
into three business units - Patheon, DPx Chemicals and Banner specializing respectively in the development and production of
pharmaceuticals, chemicals and own products.
Patheon Italia is present in Italy with two production plants, in
Monza since 1998 and Ferentino since 2002, employing a total of
approximately 1,200 employees of which 595 in the production
site of Monza and 586 in the Ferentino plant.
Chimica Oggi Chemistry Today has interviewed a few key
people to gain additional information on this strong Italian entity.
40
After the merger in 2014 of Patheon and DSM Pharmaceutical
Products, which resulted in the formation of DPx Holdings, what
changes took place in Patheon and Patheon Italia?
Antonio Magnelli - The key word after a merger is integration
and I must say that we are quite specialized in this activity. In
order to become part of the same family, it is fundamental to
share the same culture, create the same customer experience
and diffuse the same training across the new network. Our
primary focus continues to be based on our clients especially
during mergers, when it can become difficult to remain
concentrated on customers. Our company has earned a solid
and reliable reputation in the CDMO (Contract Development
and Manufacturing Organization ) world and our goal is to
nurture client partnerships towards sustained growth. I truly
believe that direct and transparent client feedback is the only
path to success.
Above all, the merger has given our organization the possibility
to not only focus on our general capabilities but to now offer our
clients full end-to-end services and an extended network. This
exciting new opportunity allows us to support our clients with a
lean supply chain solution from the API/early stage to market and
consequently getting the client...Faster to Market.
We can also offer the potentiality to work with more than one
manufacturing site within our network both in North America and
Europe to best accommodate client strategy and offer leading
service. Our manufacturing capabilities are located in the main
geographical market areas ready to meet client strategies.
As an important part of our business unit, Patheon Italia sites
sustain and contribute daily to this company strategy and
continue their focus on sterile capability. Investments are
ongoing to build on new capabilities and add more high value
technologies to our network.
What role will Patheon Italia undertake in Europe from the supply
chain point of view?
Antonio Magnelli - Patheon Italia is comprised of two state-of-theart facilities specialized in the production of steriles. The sites are
located in Monza and Ferentino and their capability represents a
crucial part of our EU Business Unit, supply chain and network.
As our company intensifies its presence in the Pharma Industry
through integrated end-to-end service offering, the teams are
committed to achieving ever more challenging results through
performance, experience, expertise and high value technologies.
On Feb 27th 2015 the Italian medicines agency (AIFA) authorized
Patheon Italia to start the new sterile department of the
production site in Monza. Can you enter into details of this new
production line?
Simona Fugazza - The new department in Monza is fully
dedicated to the production of Pre-filled Syringes (PFS) and
cartridges. This department perfectly fits in with the sites growth
strategy and that of the Company as a whole and is committed
to consolidating the strong reputation of the site as a center of
excellence for the production of injectable drugs.
Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today - vol. 33(3) May/June 2015
INTERVIEW
www.patheon.com
The department meets high technology standards and
integrates high automation, flexibility, and sterility assurance. This
will allow us to work with both the more conventional forms of
PFS but also with the most modern cartridges only usable with
innovative delivery systems and more precisely,through E-Beam
sterilization process, different dosage technologies and the
ability to handle different types of materials such as the new CZ
cartridges. This creates the basis for new opportunities for the
Pharma Industry.
What does this achievement mean for Patheon Italia?
Simona Fugazza - This is an important step for the future. This
department is the only one in the CMO world to use the most
innovative materials that better fit with a modern delivery system.
This differentiates us from our competitors and anticipates new
market demands. At the same time, it brings great satisfaction
to our company, its customers and employees as well as to the
territory boosting new job opportunities.
Notwithstanding the worldwide economic situation, where many
companies are reducing investments and cutting labour cost,
Patheon Italia has invested over 200 million Euros. Can you
explain this counter current business plan?
Antonio Magnelli - Patheon Italia has always been working
to anticipate the production needs of pharma companies in
order to become the best partner in technology transfers and
manufacturing. We tailor our services to meet the needs and
strategies of big, medium and smaller sized companies allowing
them to have more time to focus on their market growth and
new launches.
Furthermore Patheon exploits business intelligence in order to
readily support pharmaceutical partners to develop new high
added-value products such as biologics while helping the
Pharma Industry reduce costs and become more competitive
on the market.
This philosophy has allowed Patheon Italia to invest
approximately 200 million euros to increase the capacity in
order to meet market demand to best support the Pharma
Industry. These investments bring high added-value production
technology to Italy and every single investment is developed
with high quality standards. Our focus is on innovative products,
Pharma and Biopharma products.
Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today - vol. 33(3) May/June 2015
We make this possible through continuity of supply, One Source
program, Technology Transfer and Business management at the
full service of our client. All this effort results in making Patheon,
and Patheon Italia one of the main CDMO at a global level.
What is the focus of these investments? Can you enter into
details of your industrial planning for the next five years?
Antonio Magnelli, Bianca Squeglia, Simona Fugazza The future of Patheon Italia sites continues to lie in sterile
manufacturing.
The Ferentino site is expanding its current capabilities and
continuing synergies with the Pharmaceutical Development
Services Department also located on site that go from
clinical development to process scale-up and commercial
manufacturing and supply. The investment strategy here is not
changing drastically and as mentioned, remains focused on
aseptically filled (and terminally sterilized) liquid and lyo steriles.
The strategy for the coming years will also be dedicated to
quality such as the implementation of RABS technology and
grade A continuity.
The Monza site maintains its emphasis on technological
innovation, quality and regulatory compliance in its aim
to support growth as a Center of Excellence for injectable
products.
Following the realization of the new PFS Department and the
increased capacity obtained by the installation of an additional
Lyo just this year, the plan is now to invest in a fully new and
innovative department. This new department anticipates
market needs and will respond to customer demand for latest
technology over the next 5-7 years.
We also continue to advance in fast Technology Transfer as well
as in accurate planning in order to obtain prompt approvals to
market for the benefit our clients and our patients.
Finally, we strongly believe that a true Leader in the CDMO
Industry should not only have a strong global presence and
be able to provide clients with a lean supply chain, full end-toend services and an extended network but should always be
prepared to constantly challenge itself in the production and
supply of high complexity products.
GAYLE DE MARIA
Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today (TKS Publisher)
