As the majority of drug contract manufacture in Italy is concentrated in regions worst hit by Covid-19, stringent lockdown measures in the country have caused disruptions to global medicines supply chain, a data firm has revealed.
According to GlobalData, many major pharma companies rely on a large number of pharma contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) in Italy – a major active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) supplier to the global market.
Adam Bradbury, Associate Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, notes: “Italy is an attractive destination for foreign-owned pharma companies, with 59% of the Italian pharma industry being formed by these companies.”
As the rate of Covid-19 infections has fallen, the country is now looking to reduce restrictions amid pressure from businesses.
Of the total of 148 CMOs in Italy, Milan has the largest number of manufacturing facilities with 51, followed by seven in Rome.
Large CMOs such as Albany Molecular Research and Recipharm AB have facilities based in Milan, which is the worst hit Italian region for Covid-19 prevalence.
Varese and Bergamo are also in Lombardy, indicating that the Northern region is a pharma powerhouse in the country. Both the Lazio and Tuscany regions where the rest of the top six cities are based have had a far lower prevalence of COVID-19 infections than Lombardy.
