Ilie Vonica builds drug plant from scratch and starts production in 2011
Businessman Ilie Vonica of Sibiu, 55, who invests in pharmaceutical drug distribution and retail, private clinics, dialysis centres and in vitro fertilisation centres, is set to enter drug production, in the wake of total investments worth "several tens of million euros" in four sections.
This is one of the few greenfield projects in domestic drug
production after 1990 and becomes the only large production
facility owned by a Romanian entrepreneur.
Except Antibiotice Iaşi controlled by the Health Ministry, all
large Romanian pharmaceutical drug plants have been bought by
multinationals.
"With very few resources from banks, with the aid of the EU funds
we've gained, we'll start drug production. Early next year, in the
first quarter, we'll start producing solid generics. The second
section, producing oncology injectables, we hope will be ready by
the end of next year. Our production will go to both the domestic
market and to exports," Ilie Vonica, chairman of Polisano group of
firms, told ZF.
The plant currently has 30 employees, but Vonica did not provide
any details about how many people will be hired next year for the
two sections to be opened.