The 54th issue of Pharmaceutical Business Review International presents an exclusive interview with Ruşen Kalender, Chairman of the Board of World Medicine, one of Turkey’s prominent pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Mr. Kalender shared insights into the company’s new investments supporting its ongoing growth:
World Medicine has risen fast, particularly in Türkiye, thanks to its diverse product line, large production capacity and innovative initiatives. Could you discuss and outline your new investments that will sustain this growth?
We began our efforts in Türkiye in 2011. From the outset, our strategic business plan was built around the goal of expansion. We are moving forward in accordance with our aims, combining sustainable quality standards with an innovative approach. Our motto, “Health is a treasure, we share” serves as the foundation for everything we do.
We have a diverse product range that includes over 450 pharmaceutical goods across multiple medical fields. Our goal is for Türkiye to be primary production hub for pharmaceuticals and to export the medicines produced in Türkiye to all four corners of the world. We are achieving steady progress toward our goal of being the pharmaceutical company which contributes the most to the Turkish economy.
We have made significant investments in pharmaceutical production in Türkiye. In 2021, we opened our Çerkezköy factory, the largest pharmaceutical production facility in Türkiye and Eastern Europe, boasting cutting-edge technology.
Our World Medicine Çerkezköy factory has undergone extensive infrastructure development. Aside from high-tech tools, gadgets, production lines and laboratories designed to perform a wide range of tests, we have carried out and continue to carry out significant investments in a variety of areas, including energy efficiency and green and eco-friendly applications.
Our 17,582 square meter production plant and warehouse in Çerkezköy, which was built in the fourth quarter of 2022, will soon be in operation. Our another firm under the roof of World Medicine group of companies, operates empty ampoules and vials production factory in Çerkezköy.
We plan to invest in a 48,000-square-meter production facility in the Çorlu European Free Zone.
Additionally, World Medicine has undertaken significant investments in the energy sector. With our “Solar Power Plants”, we hope to meet the energy needs of our pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and headquarters from renewable sources. One of our primary goals for this investment is to significantly decrease our carbon footprint in the coming years. We continue to undertake national investments to improve the world and create a healthy future by supporting the Turkish economy in every way. In this context, we are investing in solar power facilities with a combined capacity of 22 MW. At a time when the world is experiencing an energy bottleneck, I believe our energy investments will play a leading role and in turn encourage similar investments to reduce Türkiye’s energy dependence, particularly in the transition to green and sustainable energy.
If we were to take a snapshot of World Medicine now, what figures would you provide in terms of its production potential, exports and employee numbers?
The pharmaceutical industry’s production volume and trading capability continue to grow on a daily basis.
Numerous studies are being carried out around the world to determine the size and future of the medical and pharmaceutical business. On the basis of its potential and investment, the sector is on a steady upward trajectory.
Türkiye commands a significant position in the global pharmaceutical market and is expanding its pharmaceutical sector day by day. Word Medicine is striving to contribute as much as possible in this sector.
Turning to World Medicine’s own manufacturing capacity and export numbers, with the addition of our new flagship Çerkezköy factory to our Istanbul production site, which has an annual pharmaceutical production capacity of 60 million boxes, our total annual pharmaceutical production capacity now exceeds 1.3 billion boxes.
Our Çerkezköy production facility is capable of manufacturing a wide range of products. Our Çerkezköy factory has an annual production capacity of 350 million boxes for non-sterile liquid and semi-solid products, 450 million boxes for sterile liquid and lyophilized injectable production, and 500 million boxes for all products produced in our solid production department.
We have received numerous awards in recent years for our exports and R&D investments. Our investments helped us become the Turkish Pharmaceutical Export leader for the second time in 2022, as reported by the Istanbul Chemicals and Products Exporters Association (İKMİB). According to newly available data, we retained our “champion” position in terms of Turkish pharmaceutical exports as the firm to have exported the most medicines in 2023.
We intend to maintain our leadership by pressing ahead with our investments. We now employ approximately 1,700 individuals across all of our operations, with a focus on R&D and production.
Looking ahead, what are the goals that World Medicine aspires to achieve within the next five years, following the same criteria?
We continue to pursue our objective of being one of the top 20 pharmaceutical manufacturers in the countries in which we operate, with a focus on long-term, profitable growth while increasing our global share. To this end, we have increased our investments. First and foremost, we have strengthened our infrastructure and production capacity while also investing significantly in technology.
Our goal for the next five years is very clear: to build our investments and take the appropriate strategic steps to sell the pharmaceuticals manufactured in Türkiye to the rest of the globe, and to ensure that this success is sustainable.
In this regard, our ultimate goal is to be the only brand to come to mind when the term “Pharmaceutical Exports” comes up in Türkiye. As I indicated earlier, our goal is to be the pharmaceutical company which contribution the most to the Turkish economy.
Another of our goals over the next five years is to be among the top five pharmaceutical businesses in the markets where we are strong. To be in the position of being a dependable business partner and leading firm in all of the nations and regions where we operate is extremely valuable for us. We continue to develop our infrastructure to prepare for greater pharmaceutical exports, as well as taking steps to increase our pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity with cutting-edge facilities. Our hope is that with the investments we have carried out, we will soon become Türkiye’s primary production hub, as well as the pharmaceutical firm which contributes the most to the country’s economic growth.
Could you provide any details about your R&D activities and investments that have contributed in this remarkable growth?
Our R&D center uses state-of-the-art technology to create difficult-to-access yet critical items for a healthy future, and we work tirelessly to make a difference. Our WMARGE Center, containing innovative devices, was accredited by the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology in 2015 and awarded the R&D Center Certificate. Furthermore, our whole range, which now includes over 450 pharmaceutical goods, is the result of long-term R&D efforts.
We believe R&D is the best investment in a country’s future, and we devote 5% of our turnover to R&D each year. With our skilled team of approximately 130 specialists, we continue to focus on developing medications that change people’s lives. Our WMARGE projects have received funding from TÜBİTAK and the state.
We aim to provide value to the Turkish economy through our R&D activities. In the past two years, we have been the second most active company in Türkiye in terms of executing projects across all sectors.
World Medicine was once again ranked 88th on TurkishTime’s list of ‘R&D 250, Türkiye’s Top R&D Spending Companies’.
As a WMARGE hub, our primary research and development interests include biosimilar and biosuperior drugs, gene therapy for neurological disorders, drug repositioning, the development and improvement of transdermal patches produced using nano-technological methods, the establishment of international collaborations to increase the absorption and distribution of active substances for inhaler products, and Horizon Europe Project calls.
We have never cut our R&D investments; to the contrary, we have unwaveringly increased our investment. We undertook large-scale investments to establish a private laboratory in order to improve our pharmaceutical quality in Türkiye and conduct all types of research and development operations without relying on foreign resources. With the WMINOLAB Innovation Laboratory, we are able to increase pharmaceutical quality and undertake drug analyses as required by pharmaceutical authorities all around the world. Furthermore, we allow all businesses to benefit from our laboratories. As a result, we are taking a significant step towards eliminating external dependence on these analyses throughout Türkiye. We bring value to both the sector and the Turkish economy through our laboratory, which provides advanced technological analysis services.
Can you provide some information about World Medicine’s social responsibility and impact projects?
We are mindful of our responsibilities to the environment and society. With this in mind, in addition to our environmental and sustainability efforts, we collaborate with the Turkish Education Association (TED) to train the women doctors and pharmacists of the future. When we develop our future vision and projects, we prioritize equal opportunities, gender equality and employee satisfaction. To train tomorrow’s women doctors, pharmacists and managers, we provide scholarships, internships, and employment opportunities to successful girls studying science and mathematics in Türkiye who have limited financial resources.
Meanwhile, we believe countries can resolve their energy and environmental concerns by transitioning to renewable energy. In line with this thinking, we have set a goal of “Transitioning to 100% Renewable Energy”. Türkiye is fortunate to have an abundance of renewable energy resources. Given the external dependency and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels, World Medicine generates its own electricity through energy investments in order to move Türkiye toward a healthier future, both economically and environmentally. In addition, we currently use green energy, also known as clean energy, in our factories. We take this approach when selecting suppliers and in our decisions on entering partnerships, with a focus on environmental and sustainability concerns. We also work on projects to support non-governmental organizations that are well-known in the field of environmental and sustainable development. We will continue to expand our efforts in the areas of environmental and social sustainability.
Finally, let’s discuss human resources. Can you provide some details of World Medicine’s strategies and investments in this field?
World Medicine is a fairly young organization that is rapidly expanding. As a result of this expansion, our workforce has grown dramatically in in recent years. Despite our rapid growth, we have never stopped interacting and listening to all of our employees at World Medicine, with a focus on people.
Since our very first day of operations, we have approached our team’s management in a horizontal manner, rather than in a top-down basis. We attempt to establish a working environment where our employees feel appreciated and important and we always do our best. Employees under a purely top-down managerial system may feel undervalued compared to others higher up the chain. To avoid this from happening, we provide our staff with more freedom and flexibility of movement in the horizontal model that we have built and promoted, which supports employee satisfaction. At the same time, we have established a high level of collaboration throughout our organization by forming cross-functional teams.
We carry out significant investments to support, develop and ensure that our employees have everything they need to become future leaders for both our own businesses and our country. We also train employees who will set the benchmark for the pharmaceutical sector in order to become competent managers in their areas of expertise. We continuously monitor the dynamics of our sector, including innovative production and quality trends, and bring our staff together with this innovative mindset. We provide our staff with the career, education, and mentoring opportunities that are critical for World Medicine.
Thank you for providing such specific information about your institution. Before we wrap up, we’d like to hear your perspectives on the developing trends in the global pharmaceutical sector.
The pharmaceutical sector helps people live longer and healthier lives, and it provides significant contributions to science, technology, R&D and the economy. While the pharmaceutical sector preserves human health, it also contributes significantly to national economic growth.
Ensuring that the inputs and active substances that we rely on for pharmaceutical production in Türkiye are manufactured and supplied domestically will significantly reduce our foreign trade imbalance in medicines.
Global technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, gene treatment and digitization all contribute significantly to the sector’s growth and development. At World Medicine, we closely monitor global changes in this area and engage in R&D and technology for the benefit of this sector. World Medicine presses ahead with its projects as a project stakeholder and consensus executive in the targeted Gene Therapy project, which will be carried out to treat neurological illnesses. Furthermore, nano-technological patch projects established for the therapy of urinary system illness, drug repositioning projects, and projects for the release of treatments in respiratory system disorders are noteworthy steps.
At World Medicine, we are striving to contribute to a healthier lifestyle. We believe Türkiye can become a strong player by improving its global competitiveness.
