GALENIKA: OUR DRUGS BRING A REVOLUTION IN OBESITY TREATMENT
In the year when it celebrates 80 years of successful doing business, Galenika is focused on major innovation on the market, in the form of our peptides platform that we are working on together with the sister company EMS from Brazil. This is major news and a significant milestone for us because the peptides platform represents an excellent example of our innovation and focus on the future of health. To put it shortly: our drugs bring a revolution in obesity treatment.
Pharmaceutical company Galenika is celebrating its 80th business anniversary this year, which is an outstanding success. In your opinion as the company CEO and someone with two decades of experience in the industry, what are the main reasons for Galenika company and brand perseverance?
Galenika is a synonym for health, quality and trust. Being among top companies in the pharmaceutical industry of the entire region, is a great achievement. I participated in the company development, since it became a part of the Brazilian NC Group in late 2017. And, I firmly believe that what allowed Galenika to become a leader and last, are these three traits: Perseverance, Expertise and Innovation.
Perseverance refers to our skill to last and succeed, despite the many challenges in the way, throughout the decades. With our Expertise and a vision for the future, we aim to lead further development of the pharmaceutical industry. Tradition multiplies the knowledge. We anticipate the needs and development of the market and thus offer consumers and patients modern, high-quality products.
Innovation and responsibility inspire us, and they make us determined to continue with exceptional results in the future. Also, we are committed to growth and that means that we protect our core values, but we also keep changing and transforming all the time, reinventing ourselves for the future, and health in the future, and that is all for the benefit of consumers and patients.
Eighty years is an outstanding number. I am proud of Galenika brand and people and I speak on behalf of all of us at Galenika that we are committed to the future growth.
How does 2025 look for Galenika in terms of plans and what would you single out as the business priority for this year?
The eightieth anniversary of Galenika is marked with expansion – both of the product portfolio, and our continued internationalization of business and investment in people.
In this jubilee year, Galenika is very much focused on the major innovation in the market, in the form of our peptides platform that we are working on together with the sister company EMS from Brazil. This is major news and a significant milestone for us because the peptides platform represents an excellent example of our innovation and focus on the future of health. To put it shortly: our drugs bring a revolution in obesity treatment.
The first peptide-based, anti-obesity and diabetes treatment medicines have already been registered in Brazil. The same products have just received authorization in Serbia, and we expect for the EU and the US, too, before the end of the year. For that reason, when it comes to our top three priorities, I would have to answer with: peptides, peptides and peptides.
Our peptide-based products for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes will be available in Brazil in Q3 of 2025, while on the Serbian market we expect it in Q1 of 2026. With this, Galenika will be among the first generic drug manufacturers in Serbia to launch this type of product.
That certainly sounds groundbreaking and very interesting. Could you tell us more, and why peptides seem to become extremely important in the pharmaceutical industry and medicine today?
You are right, it is groundbreaking, important and interesting. Peptides achieve clinical targets that were not possible in the past, bringing new possibilities for treatment. When it comes to obesity, peptide-based drugs represent an important innovation for efficient treatment.
This new product that was developed by our Brazilian pharmaceutical leader company EMS and Galenika together, it belongs to the group of GLP-1 analog drugs (GLP-1 analogs). GLP-1 analogue drugs act similarly to the physiological hormone glucagon as peptide-1, so they can promote the same effects in the body, such as – increased satiety, appetite inhibition and regulation of hormones responsible for glucose metabolism and energy consumption. EMS and Galenika plan to launch products that are safe and effective for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
GLP-1 analogs are considered a great revolution in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. They allow improving the quality of life and increasing the life expectancy of patients, bringing benefits to people’s health, with a significant reduction in body weight and avoiding possible complications of diabetes, which can evolve into cardiovascular outcomes and mortality.
When do you expect these products to be launched?
Our peptide-based products for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes will be available in Brazil in Q3 2025, while in Serbian market we expect it in Q1 2026. With this, we position Galenika among the first generic drug manufacturers in Serbia to launch this type of product.
What are the main challenges in pharma industry today?
There are amazing opportunities that we see in modern pharma that the patients benefit from. There are also challenges that pharmaceutical companies navigate. I would mention the price regulation and cost of production, especially in Europe and the agility in drugs approvals throughout the cycle: registration process, price, putting on the positive list, and reimbursement.
High level of regulation guarantees patient safety and product quality, which is crucial for maintaining confidence in the pharmaceutical industry. However, different regulatory frameworks and requirements can slow down innovation and increase operating costs for companies operating in multiple countries. Although flexibility in strict regulation is not easily achievable, there is room for improvement through better harmonization of standards, improvement of coordination between regulatory bodies and use of advanced technologies for faster and more efficient assessment of safety and efficacy of new drugs. This approach emphasizes the reality of strict regulations, but also the possibilities for optimization within the existing framework.
In the future, the pharmaceutical industry will face new challenges and opportunities. Further development of personalized medicine is expected, especially in the field of gene therapy, as well as the expansion of the use of digital tools in the daily practice of pharmacists and doctors. Also, global cooperation and investment in public health will become an even more important factor, while technologies such as 3D printing and bioinformatics will redefine the process of developing new drugs.
At the same time, sustainability and social responsibility initiatives that we see today will become more intrinsic and standard business principles in every segment of the pharmaceutical industry, tightly woven in the operations altogether.
What are the most important trends in pharmaceutical industry today that give us a preview of the future of health and which of these relate to Galenika and its plans?
The pharmaceutical industry is developing in several key directions, and emerging trends indicate that in the future we will see significant changes in the way drugs are manufactured, distributed and used.
Some of the most important and innovative therapies currently in development and considered revolutionary in the pharmaceutical industry include biotechnological therapies such as peptide-based and personalized medicine, gene therapy, and immunotherapy in oncology treatment. I have previously mentioned some of them, but I will explain now.
Biotechnological therapies, such as peptide-based therapies (hormones, enzymes, and other bioactive molecules), provide alternative approaches for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including infectious diseases, diabetes, and neurological disorders. As I have mentioned, Galenika has been actively working on diabetes and weight loss drugs based on peptides, to target systems in the body that are responsible for regulating appetite, metabolism and energy expenditure, and peptides are molecules that can precisely modulate these processes.
Gene therapy enables direct modification of genes in human cells to treat genetic diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy, hemophilia, and other inherited diseases. Through these technologies, scientists are trying to correct the genes that cause diseases, rather than just treating the symptoms.
Immunotherapy in oncology is treatment of various types of cancer by using the body’s immune system these can increase the survival rate of patients with cancers that were previously resistant to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Galenika is developing this particular, oncology segment as this is the disease that make the whole pharmaceutical industry change.
I am happy that Galenika has long foreseen trends and the direction of pharma future, which is why we see our decisive steps into innovations. As a growing trend I also want to mention the rise of the personalized medicine, which is based on the patient’s genetic profile. It is becoming increasingly important because doctors can tailor therapies based on the genome and patients’ specific genetic characteristics. This can significantly increase the effectiveness of treatments while reducing side effects and costs.
Immunotherapy in oncology is treatment of various types of cancer by using the body’s immune system these can increase the survival rate of patients with cancers that were previously resistant to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Galenika is developing this particular, oncology segment as this is the disease that makes the whole pharmaceutical industry change.
With all the innovations and progress of the pharmaceutical industry, how does the global business community perceive this industry today?
The business community recognizes the pharmaceutical industry as a key player in the global economy, with particular reference to its potential for innovation through digitization and biotechnology. However, challenges such as high investment, the need for regulation and to some extent, ethical issues also stand out. There is an emphasis on cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to overcome obstacles and ensure sustainable development in this industry.
The conclusions from this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos show that the pharmaceutical industry plays a central role in shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, but is faced with challenges that require the joint work and responsibility of all sectors.
It is important to say that Galenika and EMS have had a dynamic cooperation since the beginning. They have so far successfully worked on the transfer of technology for 17 products from the newer generation of generic drugs. That is a good illustration of how this strategic partnership is mutually beneficial and very important.
We know that the NC Group, owner of Galenika, also includes EMS pharmaceutical company. Could you tell us more about this sister company of Galenika?
NC Group is a Brazilian conglomerate that includes nearly 30 companies, among which the EMS is the most prominent. It was founded in 1964 and is the biggest pharma company in Brazili and one of the leaders in the whole Latin America. EMS invests 6% of annual income in Research and Development, with a special focus on biological and high-complexity generic drugs. EMS is working on new molecules and peptides, therefore transforming itself from a generic to innovative pharma company. EMS has been the leader in the Brazilian pharmaceutical market for 19 consecutive years, and is multiple winner of prestigeoius awards for innovations, social responsibility and regional development. In that sense, it is similar to Galenika, recognized as a good corporate citizen, and they are a true match.
It is important to say that Galenika and EMS have a dynamic cooperation since the beginning. They have so far successfully worked on the the transfer of technology for 17 products from the newer generation of generic drugs. That is a good illustration of how this strategic partnership mutually beneficial and very important.
At the end of this interview, could you tell us where you see Galenika in five years time?
This is a very good question. In the seven years since it became part of the Brazilian NC Group, Galenika produced over 310 million packages of products, and increased sales in Serbia by as much as 84 percent. Investments were made in the construction of 3 new factories as well as modernization and capacity expansion of existing facilities, the product portfolio was significantly increased.
I also have tremendous expectations for the digitized production in the Cloud we are introducing, which will connect remote production systems into one comprehensive platform. In five years’ time, our plan is to double the sales, based on Galenika’s global growth and stabilization of doing business on international markets that is already under way. And with our commitment, I believe we can achieve what we focus on.
I may not be a fan of fortunetelling, I am a firm believer in analytics, planning and monitoring. I trust that with out tradition, expertise and tech tools we can make even more sophisticated and highly educated predictions. In that sense, I also have tremendous expectations from the digitized production in the Cloud that we are introducing and which will connect remote production systems into one comprehensive platform. In five years time, our plan is to double the sales, due to Galenika’s global growth and stabilization of doing business on international markets that is in progress already. And with our committment, we can achieve what we focus on.
The interview was published in Profit magazine on May 27, 2025.