ROVERETO. It is the bulwark of drug preparation in Europe, the only factory of active principlesi (we are talking about the Suanfarma) remained in the Old Continent after the mass exodus towards Asia.
And it has remained proudly in Lizzana, producing preparations for life-saving medicines: antibiotics and anti-rejection for transplant recipients.
And this in a period in which, after the pandemic, there was a shortage of products.
«Unfortunately, from the 1990s onwards – explains Gian Nicola Berti, director of the plant – the know-how was transferred to India and China, which holds 80% of the market. With Covid, and especially after, producers have decided to halve exports preferring to stock up. If we add to this first the blockage of transport and the flooding of the same afterwards, we can understand how the arrival of raw materials has suffered heavily».
In Rovereto, on the other hand, production continued, in fact among the only ones in this part of the world.
«Suanfarma, and whoever had the factory before the Spanish multinational, has always continued on its path trying to supply quality products at affordable prices and therefore, as happened due to the pandemic, only for the rich. A winning choice which, now, is copied throughout Europe who has decided to make what is needed at home, like for microchips to understand each other ».
In short, the social and economic cataclysm caused by the virus risked stopping the supply of life-saving supplies and forced both the European Union and the United States to back down and become autarkic. What has always been Suanfarma Italia. So much so that the preparations that leave the Lizzana factory serve half a million transplants.
Of which one, Federico (a 28-year-old Lombard), personally wanted to visit the place where the drugs that make him live normally are born.
«It was a nice surprise, this one. The boy underwent a kidney transplant eight years ago but his life continues as always, he does sports, a social life and everything he did before the surgery. Sure, he has to take two tablets a day but he came to see us and talked to everyone, thanking the employees one by one and inviting them to continue. We were very pleased with this visit because he made us appreciate our work even more, he gave us feedback with the end user ».
The trend of transplants, on the other hand, is growing and last Sunday was the world day dedicated. Among other things, Aido also visited Suanfarma recalling that in Trentino 71% of the population has given the approval to donate organs. Which, in order to work, need pharmacological support. Which was born, as mentioned, in Rovereto.
As? «Recycling agricultural and food waste that are treated to be transformed into active ingredients becoming food for microorganisms.
As our grandparents used to say, this is the fundamental and also a little curious principle, «no if you throw anything away!». And that’s what happens. In fact, once the basis for future medicines has been obtained, the further waste is transformed into biogas, therefore energy, and the last waste, on which we are working, should become fertilizer and organic manure for the countryside. In short, a virtuous circle of “zero garbage”.
The same goes for water, with new investments to throw the blue gold used for production back into the river, suitably washed. And returning to self-sufficiency, the multinational has spent a lot precisely to try to protect the environment and to be self-sufficient in terms of energy.
When it happened a couple of years ago, therefore, it seems to be just a hiccup. We are talking about the prosecutor’s investigation which produced five suspects. Since then, however, millions of euros have been spent to fix the plants and make them state-of-the-art under the sustainability heading.