The Prime Minister inspected in Tripoli major investments in pharmaceuticals that are boosting domestic production and employment in Arcadia.
Arcadia was at the heart of the country’s development strategy on Tuesday afternoon, during the visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to leading units of the Greek pharmaceutical industry.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis toured the facilities where strategic investments are underway, which are upgrading Tripoli’s role as a production centre of international importance.
Accompanied by Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, as well as staff of the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Industry Association, he was briefed on the progress of three major projects: the new DEMO complex, which is expected to become one of the largest production facilities for penicillin and oncology drugs in the EU; the WIN MEDICA facility with the potential to cover more than 70% of domestic needs in specific categories; and the FARAN facility, which focuses on injectable formulations and, in the future, biotechnology drugs.
During the tour of the new infrastructure, it was highlighted that the three projects will create more than 1.500 direct and indirect jobs, also contributing to the retention of young scientists in Greece and to brain gain.
The important role played by the Greek pharmaceutical industry in securing the EU’s pharmaceutical supply, promoting research and encouraging innovation, while strengthening the country’s productive self-sufficiency, was also highlighted.
After the tour, the Prime Minister said:
“Something that if we had discussed it some years ago would have looked like a science fiction scenario, has today become a reality here in Tripoli. First of all, I would like to congratulate the dynamic companies, the Greek pharmaceutical companies, which have chosen this place and made use of the significant investment incentives provided by our government to create innovative production units here in Tripoli.
In a region which was, and to a certain extent still is, looking for a new production model, we have demonstrated that regional development and productive transformation, i.e. the shift of economic activity to high value-added sectors, can indeed be put into practice. Here, as Mr Demos said, a significant proportion of medicines will be produced, covering not only Greek but also European needs.
I understand that at a time when the debate on Europe’s strategic autonomy is gaining momentum, how important the added value of such investments is for our country. And of course, investments in the pharmaceutical industry are not only made here in Tripoli. Dozens of investments are being made throughout Greece under this very important tool, the clawback, which our government intends to continue and strengthen within our capabilities.
I want to dwell, however, particularly on the jobs that are being created. A new perspective for the young children of Arcadia, for the young children of the Peloponnese, for those who will be looking for employment with new training tools, with training programmes, so that they can find work in these pharmaceutical companies, with wages – let us say this – significantly higher than the average wage that exists today in our country, in an environment that is both ultra-modern and extremely pleasant, with a quality of life that only the Greek region can offer.
Because when you can combine life in the Greek periphery with a well-paid job, we understand how attractive decentralisation, which we so often talk about, can be, but in the end we always have difficulties in putting it into practice. So, really, it is good to see new plants and especially here the plant we are in, which will be in full production very soon.
And of course, one last thing, that for us the export pharmaceutical industry is a cutting-edge industry that will be supported by the Greek Government. Because it is an industry that is both a high value-added industry and an industry of significant strategic autonomy for our country.
We have the human resources, we have the entrepreneurs who take the risk to invest. We have a government which I think understands, despite the difficulties, the problems of the sector and which wants to support the domestic pharmaceutical industry by offering competitive quality medicine to Greek patients, but also by meeting pan-European and global needs in innovative medicines. So again, congratulations.”
Health Minister Adonis Georgiades said:
“Mr President, in 2019, on your mandate, I and Mr Papathanasis, as Minister of Development and Deputy Minister at the time, passed the first law on the investment clawback. With Vassilis Kontozamanis, who I see there, as Deputy Minister of Health, we signed the first EIA for its implementation and with the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Industry Association, Mr. Tryphon and Mr. Demos, we started to take on the first applications.
And today, with great pride, we present to you the biggest change in the production model that has taken place in Greece in such a short period of time, in an industry that creates well-paid jobs and attracts innovation and specialization that the country needs so much. Thank you very much for your confidence.”
PEF President Theodoros Tryfon noted:
“Thank you for being here. We are pleased to welcome both you and the Minister of Health to these investments in Tripoli, Arcadia. With these investments we are creating a sense of security, adequacy and self-sufficiency for the Greek insured for very important categories of medicines. We can cover more than 70% of the needs through production in Tripoli.
And of course, we are also signalling the dynamics of the Greek pharmaceutical industry in Greece and abroad. We are a sector that proves that when Greece wants to, it can be competitive in both production and research. Our motto is “we produce Greece, we stay Greece”.
The Vice President of the PEF Dimitrios Demos said:
“We welcome today the Prime Minister of our country, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and our Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiades, in an effort that began with the current government in 2019 and we see today being implemented with great success. We started an effort in a provincial city like Tripoli, with one of the highest unemployment rates at that time, and today we are in a pharmaceutical industry hub, which has nothing to envy from the corresponding European pharmaceutical industry parks that exist in other countries.
We are happy to be in the position, as we started, today to say that Greek medicine from Tripoli can meet the needs of 30% of pediatric drugs and 30% of oncology patients. With this great success in Tripoli, with the production of raw materials and finished medicines in injectable and oral form, we are proud because we are putting Greece on the map of Europe for medicine. Thank you very much for your presence.”
