Ilie Vonica builds drug plant from scratch and starts production in 2011

3 nov 2010 Autor: Adriana Rosoga

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.