Boehringer Ingelheim Plans Investment in Turkey

Germany-based human and animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim announced investment plans for Turkey.

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), marking its 25th year of operations in Turkey, is planning to increase its investments in the country. BI Turkey General Manager and Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Transformation Process Leader Evren Özlü stated in his assessment of the company's activities that the rapidly growing company's global and regional importance is increasing. Boehringer Ingelheim is starting local investments in its 25th year to support its growth targets. Evren Özlü stated that they have completed the signature process in localization efforts and have significant investment targets for 2020, saying: "With our localization efforts, Turkey is becoming one of Boehringer Ingelheim's production bases in terms of human health products. Over the next 5 years, we plan to produce one out of every two boxes of medicines in our human health portfolio in Turkey. Additionally, we are targeting that approximately one-third of products by value come from locally produced products," he said. Özlü also noted that as of 2020, they aim to focus on specific pharmaceutical products and be a leader in the metabolism field.

BI Turkey grew above national average

In his assessment of BI Turkey's 2019 performance, Evren Özlü said: "By 2019, we have become an organization growing over 20 percent in the pharmaceutical market. Today, as a Turkish organization, our company holds an important value-added position in both human health and animal health. To write a sustainable success story, we are taking significant steps on issues at the center of the sector, such as clinical research, localization, investment in people, and rapidly bringing new products to patients," he stated. Özlü noted that according to IMS (IQVIA) data, BI Turkey grew 50 percent in the human health field in 2019, which exceeded Turkey's pharmaceutical market growth of 31.7 percent. Stating that BI Turkey rose 6 positions in the ranking of pharmaceutical companies in the country to reach 14th place, Evren Özlü said: "With these successes as Turkey, we have risen to a major player position in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) Region to which we belong." Noting that they completed 2019 successfully in the animal health field, Özlü said: "In the Animal Health field, we develop services and solutions by focusing on animal welfare and improving performance. Our business unit achieved a growth rate of over 40 percent compared to the previous year, extending its position as the fastest-growing country in the META Region in animal health to its third year," he stated. In a statement noting that BI is a 135-year-old company operating worldwide, it was emphasized that it ranks among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world in both human and animal health. It was noted that operations in Turkey, which began 25 years ago with respiratory and cardiovascular medicines, currently continue in human health in metabolic diseases, particularly diabetes, respiratory, oncology, immunology and central nervous system diseases; and in animal health in vaccines, antiparasitic medicines and therapeutics based on disease prevention principles.

BI focused on digital transformation in health

Evren Özlü recalled that BI is undergoing rapid digital transformation, emphasizing that they have developed solutions in digital research, digital care and technology in both human and animal health; and that digital technology has accelerated processes in the discovery of new molecules. Emphasizing that the company supports social entrepreneurs in the environment and health fields through partnership with the Ashoka social entrepreneurship platform and supports individuals and organizations in this field, Evren Özlü announced that mentoring and sponsorship support is provided to social entrepreneurs from Turkey. Stating that the company's Turkey operations are successful, Özlü said: "We are also creating a role model for our region. We are the first pharmaceutical company in Turkey to receive the Investors In People certification. Two years ago, we were included in the Great Place To Work (GPTW) Institute's Best Employers List, and in the employee survey conducted by our global organization, we achieved a very good result in the world ranking," he said.   Source