Fiercely attached to its independence Dr

SERVIER "had not experienced such growth for at least twenty years." Jacques

SERVIER, founder and President of the first independent French laboratory, is more than satisfied of the 2004-2005 fiscal year ending September 30. Sales increased by 14.1 to EUR 2.8 billion. For the current year, it provides a new "acceleration". "We shall not be near 20 ", said the leader, or a growth rate significantly higher than that of the world pharmaceutical market, which is about 7.

This take-off is exclusively due to the international (see chart), as sales of drugs under patent France stagnant for several years. Last year, revenues increased by 16 to 127 million euros in Poland, more than 20 in Czech Republic and Slovakia, and even 58 to 115 million euros, Russia. In the former Soviet bloc countries, "we now have access to large markets", said the pattern of Servier, established since the beginning of the 1990s. Revenues also strongly progressed in nearest countries like Great Britain ( 16 last year) or Netherlands ( 42). "It took striving, but eventually is piercing." The international represents today more than 80 of the activity.

Faithful to its culture of secrecy, the lab is much less disert on profits. "What we earn is reinvested in the House", said Jacques Servier when asked about the profitability of the group. The expenses of research and development remain high, representing, year poorly, "25 of the turnover", while the average is 16 among major laboratories. Fiercely attached to its independence, Dr. Servier has always refused to put his company on the stock exchange. The laboratory is now the 3rd non-rated group of the pharmaceutical sector, behind German Boehringer Ingelheim, with sales approaching EUR 10 billion, and the American Mundipharma. Aged eighty-four, the Patriarch of French pharmacy prepared his succession by transferring the ownership of the company to a Foundation he chairs. It is managed by a Committee composed of twenty of the most capable people of the House. "

The future of Biogaran

Despite a smaller relative to its competitors, Servier leads to many, only expensive clinical trials on its future drugs. Partnerships for the development of the molecules are risky, believes the President, including in the United States where management teams change "too often", which is detrimental to long-term projects. The laboratory prefers to reach agreements at a less advanced stage, at the level of research and then promotes organizations such as CNRS or Inserm. Three new drugs coming out of the Servier laboratories: the Protelos (against osteoporosis), (cardiovascular) Procoralan and Valdoxan (antidepressant).

Although its activity is focused on innovative medicines, protected by patents, Servier has also embarked on generic drugs in the 1990s. Its Biogaran subsidiary is one of the two leaders of the French market "copies" of drugs, with German Merck. A "particularly difficult" sector according to Jacques Servier, because "permanent change imposed by the public authorities". "Only two or three laboratories generic are profitable in France," he assured. In this sector where consolidation in full swing, Biogaran may interest other laboratories specialized in generics. Would SERVIER be prepared to separate from its subsidiary "Cannot me answer this question", explains the pattern of the French laboratory, because the future of this market is "too uncertain.