Transforming the Pharmaceutical Landscape
Sintetica S.A. is a pharmaceutical company delivering injectable anaesthetics and analgesics to patients worldwide through innovative science and excellence in development, production and marketing. We sat down with Pasquale Mitidieri, Global Markets Corporate Director, who gives us an insight into the success of the firm and its achievements.
Established 1921 in Switzerland, Sintetica possess sites which are based in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and United Kingdom, with its headquarters in Mendrisio, Switzerland. With 230 people employed around Europe, the workforce is diverse, coming from 28 different countries across the globe. Sintetica’s primary focus is on local anaesthesia and pain relief.
As of 2012, Sintetica established its global division, which was the first international corporate structure. The global division was tasked with pursuing international growth under two distinct models, being a B2B licensing strategy and somewhat later a B2C strategy in selected markets. Pasquale goes into detail about the B2B model and what the overall goal of the new corporate structure is for Sintetica.
“Under the B2B model, staff sought to license out top brands to partners with whom employees share values. Foremost among these values, people and relationships, including business relationships, come first, and thus Sintetica seeks to build business by finding partners with whom it can share its values. As such, all our partners must meet strict ethical criteria and share our innovation driven ‘quality without compromise’ value proposition. This was the most critical and difficult challenge we have faced since beginning our internationalisation efforts, however I am proud to say that we have been very successful.”
Focusing on specific subjects, the global division is focusing on high speed robust partner selection and affiliation in every country around the world. It is determined to offer a dynamic portfolio of selected branded medicines, developed to answer unmet clinical needs, to build sustainable and long-lasting alliances. Pasquale is keen to talk about the firm’s rapid ascent and expansion across the globe.
“Across the country, we have built an agile and multicultural high-performing division to support rapid global expansion. Global Division has two sites, one based in the HQs of Mendrisio, Switzerland and the second in Como-Italy, from where all partners worldwide are managed.
“A novel structure of highly experienced and qualified alliance managers is covering the entire globe, ensuring a high level proximity support to our business partners to reinforce even more the long lasting fruitful cooperation model.”
Pasquale outlines Sintetica’s overall mission, discussing what steps are taken in order to achieve this, and how employees integrate innovation into every aspect of its work.
“Here at Sintetica, we are fully committed to innovating therapies and drugs in local anaesthesia, pain management and neuromodulation. As such, we move forward with passion and competence in the full respect of people and the environment. All our efforts and resources are focused on becoming a leader in these fields, by developing novel medicine and better treatment options for physicians and patients worldwide.
“To achieve this leadership by innovation in the context of global growth, we consider strategic partnering and business development to be the key factors.”
Boasting an excellent reputation and an impressive track record, Pasquale explains the firm’s attributes and standing within the market, explaining what makes the company a leader.
“Local anaesthesia and pain relief are two areas in which we have been the market leader for many years in Switzerland. Moreover, we are also seeking to develop a leadership position in the growing field of neuromodulation.”
Pleasing clients and exceeding their expectations on a global basis, the firm has submitted over 350 product registrations in over 100 different countries, via the network of partners it has built over the previous five years. The first phase of expansion covered most of North, Central and South America, South East Asia, and the Pacific. Many of these registrations have yet to come through, but so far, has seen strong growth in the US, and some good returns in the Pacific. Year on Year, the company’s growth is exceeding 200%, consolidating the impressive growth stream of the last years.
When discussing what differentiates Sintetica from competitors, marking them out as the best possible option for their partners, Pasquale reflects on how the culture of Sintetica and all the strategic choices are firmly based on respect.
“Respect is the core value of the company, and it permeates across every employee. The concept of respect is divided into three well-defined directions. It is expressed in relation to its employees, enhancing the different characteristics of each one. Whether for work or as an individual, we aim to let people participate in activities which create a pleasant environment in which to work and express themselves.
“This same concept is also expressed towards the patients using Sintetica drugs worldwide, providing them with the highest quality products and investing in innovation to imagine the best care solutions for the future. Consequently, it materialises towards its global partners, showing them loyalty, absolute ethics and both operational and development support of advanced go to market strategies.”
Essentially, the values of the company and the identity that is formed through the working culture are major aspects of what differentiates the firm from others, as Pasquale alludes to. He points out that the drugs supplied by Sintetica are of Sintetica ideology, and are therefore individual in their production.
“The convergence of these three well-defined areas make up the Sintetica Value Proposition. It is a distinctive and strategic element of their own identity in the wide world panorama of the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, Sintetica does not only export drugs of the highest quality throughout the world, but also the complex of their own values.
“The latter, shared by its network of global business partners, gives the global division its unique characteristics in their approach to international markets and profound value in the go to market philosophy.”
Recently, Sintetica found success in being selected in the Global Excellence Awards as the Most Innovative Pharmaceutical Company 2018, and Pasquale tells us how the team feel about this success and what it means to the firm going forwards.
“It is an incredible joy first, as it represents a tangible reward to the huge efforts and strong ambition of Sintetica to move from a small Swiss excellence firm, to a leading global company. This award makes all 230 employees of Sintetica proud and honoured of the work we do. Ultimately, at the basis of this amazing international success are our values and principles.”
The pharmaceutical industry is becoming increasingly competitive, in an economic and distribution sense, and Pasquale and Sintetica must work exceptionally hard to ensure the firm stays ahead of any emerging developments within the fast-paced market. Pasquale explains what techniques are used in order to increase the productivity of Sintetica, as well as what helps it to attract the best business.
“Novel therapies and treatments require more and more the redevelopment of existing drugs. As such, the team enhance drug formulation, assuring the fitting of our ‘Premix’ medicines to the current standard of care. Surgical procedures can be invasive and drugs may not last as long, meaning there is an increased cost pressure on the health system which is leading to a shift towards day surgery.
“Modern short and medium acting local anaesthetics are our ‘One Day Surgery’ proposal, enabling us to adapt the length and the conditions of anaesthesia to the novel surgical needs, allowing patients to go home on the same day. Furthermore, after being released, we want our patients to be able to live as normally as possible.
“This means that pain has to be managed at hospital as much as possible. ‘Dual Spinal’ is our development of an innovative pain killer drug which treats the acute pain after surgery at hospital, when inducing anaesthesia. ‘Enhance Intrathecal Therapy’ is our promise as we try to improve care in the neuromodulation. As a result, we develop novel drugs and make available life-changing medicines to the largest number of patients and health care providers worldwide.”
Contributing towards the overall success of Sintetica, is the working environment which provides staff with the freedom to be creative, innovative and work exceptionally hard to produce the best results. Pasquale talks about respect and the stringent hiring structure which the firm has in place, meaning it guarantees that it only hires staff who are the right fit for the firm.
“The culture of total respect and the focus to the individual person shall be considered as our fundamental heritage. The people are the real stars of our business and the biggest resource we count on to grow and develop the company.
“At Sintetica, we seriously take the obligation to meet the highest standards of business ethics and integrity, and make meeting those standards the responsibility of all our employees. That is why, when hiring new employees, we look for smart people who share our thirst for diversity, our respect for traditions and our aim to be a global leading company.”
Ultimately, discussing the future of Sintetica, Pasquale is delighted to explain that a strategy for the firm going forwards has been approved. There are clearly exciting times ahead for Sintetica, with a plan set for the company to capitalise on its strong growth in the times ahead.
“Moving forwards, the strategic plan ‘Strategia 2021’ has been approved by the board. This plan calls for the international commercial diffusion of the innovation as main leverage to grow in the next future. Global Division is focusing on high speed robust partner selection and affiliation in each and every country of the world, offering a dynamic portfolio of selected branded medicines, developed to answer unmet clinical needs, to build sustainable and long-lasting alliances.
“Lastly, we will executive projects to improve the industrial sites which are manufacturing capacity and pharmaceutical and clinical pipeline developments that are major pillars to sustain the midterm strong growth.”
Company: Sintetica S.A.
Contact: Pasquale Mitidieri
Address: via Penate 5, 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland
Phone: 0041 32 864 93 93
Website: www.sintetica.com
