Eighteen months ago Greek pharmaceutical company VIANEX signed an agreement with LILLY aiming at producing vancomycin antibiotics for the Chinese market. Implementing this agreement the first medicine products were recently delivered to Shanghai. On this occasion, a press conference was organised in Athens to communicate the results of this new Sino-Greek economic co-operation.
In particular, Deputy Director and CEO of VIANEX Mr Dimitris Giannakopoulos said: ‘Anticipating the increasing interest in the production of lyophile antibiotic products, VIANEX had started to invest in the necessary infrastructure, equipment and training of personnel ten years ago. For the production of vancomycin, for instance, the company did recruit approximately 20 qualified people and it plans to hire more personnel in the future.
We have already invested more than 11 million EUR and we will need 2 million more in coming years. This investment has brought VIANEX in the top three lypohile pharmaceutical companies at the European level. The delivery of the first vancomycin products to China highlights the achievement our policy and makes us all proud! 2 million pieces of vancomycin will be exported to China in 2014. The production will amount at 6 million units in 2015 and 6,3 million in 2016. More importantly, the trend is upward.
Under the umbrella of the constant guidance of ELI LILLY representatives and with the diligent efforts of the staff involved, the pilot productions had been successfully prepared. Strict controls by Chinese authorities followed. After controls were made and the necessary approval was given, the first official production started in the summer of 2014. As a result the first units did reach China a few days ago’
