As İEİS, we will lead our industry's biotechnology breakthrough

PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF TURKEY (İEİS): TURKEY BIOTECHNOLOGICAL MEDICINES PLATFORM İEİS Board Chairman Nezih Barut:

"Biotechnology will serve as a locomotive in making Turkey's pharmaceutical sector a global player"

İEİS, an established and leading organization in Turkey's pharmaceutical industry, established the Turkey Biotechnological Medicines Platform to enhance the industry's competency and competitiveness in biotechnology and to contribute to the development of this field in Turkey.

İEİS Board Chairman Nezih Barut, commenting on the platform that aims to create synergy by bringing together reputable companies working in this field and launched with 18 members, emphasized that the platform is open to pharmaceutical companies that are not members of İEİS, stating, "As İEİS, we attach great importance to the development and production of biotechnological medicines in our country.

Thus, our patients will have easier access to these medicines, the foreign trade deficit will decrease, making a significant contribution to the country's economy, and technological accumulation will become possible. Biotechnology will serve as a locomotive in making Turkey's pharmaceutical sector a global player."

"As İEİS, we will lead our industry's biotechnology initiative"

Barut, commenting on the establishment of the Turkey Biotechnological Medicines Platform, noted that the Platform was established to work toward increasing the effectiveness of Turkey's pharmaceutical industry in the field of biotechnological medicines, whose importance is growing daily worldwide and in Turkey, stating, "As İEİS, we will lead our industry's biotechnology initiative."

Nezih Barut continued as follows: "Worldwide, the production of plant and chemically derived medicines is rapidly being replaced by biotechnological medicines within the scope of new developments in science and technology. The usage rate of biotechnological medicines globally has exceeded 20% and continues to rise.

A similar situation exists in our country. In Turkey, the total market size of biotechnological medicines reached TRY 3.40 billion in 2016, constituting approximately 16.5% of the total prescription medicines market. The biotechnological medicines field is a quite new area for our country.

Our industry's human resources and knowledge base in this field remain limited. However, our companies, with a long-term perspective, are making high-cost investments with returns spanning years. They are making every effort to strengthen our country in a strategic area such as biotechnology."

"To compete effectively with our competitors in this field which we entered late, it is of great importance to further increase government support for R&D and biotechnology investments."

Nezih Barut, noting that he believes the industry will make breakthroughs in this field as investments beginning in biotechnology are realized and new investments come online, stated, "To compete effectively with our competitors in this field which we entered late, it is of great importance to further increase government support for R&D and biotechnology investments.

Additionally, a regulatory environment that supports our objectives needs to be created, and the licensing, pricing, and reimbursement systems need to be structured in a way that will make investment meaningful.

Within this framework, through the Turkey Biotechnological Medicines Platform, we aim to be effective in increasing incentive mechanisms in the biotechnology field and in determining regulations.

Furthermore, we want to make joint efforts to undertake initiatives for developing qualified workforce, and to serve as a reference platform with which national and international organizations can communicate and obtain information."

Turkey Biotechnological Medicines Platform

The Platform consists of 18 members, both İEİS members and non-members. It aims to continue its work in 5 main areas: Regulations, incentives, qualified workforce, pre-competitive collaboration, communication.

Within this framework, it plans to conduct the following activities:

-Identify problems related to biotechnological medicines and develop solution proposals,

-Work to enable greater utilization of incentive mechanisms,

-Be effective in creating a regulatory environment suited to our country's needs,

-Develop close cooperation with public and academic institutions,

-Increase health professionals' knowledge and awareness regarding biotechnological medicines,

-Cooperate with national and international NGOs,

-Organize national and international events.

Platform members are:

Abdi İbrahim, Adeka, Arven, Atabay, Centurion, Dem, EİP Eczacıbaşı, Hasbiotech, İlko, Koçak, Liba, Mustafa Nevzat, Nobel, Onko, Sandoz, Teva, TR Pharm, Turgut