Polfa Tarchomin is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. It is the oldest Polish pharmaceutical plant and one of the oldest in Europe. What investments are you looking to make now?
JAROSŁAW KRÓL: We were the first producer of insulin and penicillin in Poland. Our team feels a responsibility towards such a great tradition and knowledge. We are now implementing a long-term investment programme. The Centre for the Development and Production of Oncology Drugs is the most important part of it. Currently, all oncology drugs available in Poland are of foreign manufacture. We want to change that, but we also think globally. The entire investment amounts to PLN 600 million. It will cover the research and development area, the building itself, machinery, and laboratory equipment. We intend to obtain an occupancy permit in Q1 2024.
On the other hand, we completed a state-of-the-art ampoule plant for the production of sterile drugs for PLN 40 million. We also recently took over a building with a finished production line from the bankrupt Ifotam company in Łódź. We have spent PLN 35 million, with a book value of PLN 100 million and a replacement value of PLN 150–200 million.
Since the production of oncology drugs will now be domestic, will the prices be lower?
JK: Yes, because these drugs are intended for tenders. If we want to take 50% of the market in individual molecules, we will compete aggressively on the price. The quality of the drugs is the same, so we have to lower the price. This will be done for the benefit of the Polish budget. The building scale allows us to offer these products abroad as well.
There were drug shortages during the coronavirus pandemic. How do you approach the drug safety?
JK: We played a huge role in the pandemic. We were among the first to supply disinfectant fluids, which were dramatically in short supply. We then became their largest producer in the country. In total, we produced as much as 23 million litres. Hospitals, clinics, schools, offices, and uniformed services were supplied by us. This enabled the state to function without interruptions. For a very long time, the drug at that time was oxygen. In Poland, the medical oxygen market is dominated by four multinational corporations. At one point, they said they couldn’t produce any more. We had never done this before, but we were able to get it into production in no time with the help of co-operators. We supplied 1.3 million litres of medical oxygen. Without it, many people would have died.
In turn, the coronavirus was followed by influenza epidemic and bacterial infections. Suddenly there was a shortage of antibiotics. Many global manufacturers have chosen to supply medicines first to where they are most expensive — Western Europe. Thanks to the Polish production, we had them at a good price because we had our own plant that had them in stock. We were prepared for an emergency. We increased production and worked three shifts. We are therefore making a major contribution to the area of Poland’s drug safety and we are proud of it.
