Chiesi is ranked 10th in the multispecialist “Best Pharmaceutical Companies Germany” 2022 ranking in the category “Large individual, medium-sized and international companies”. Infectopharm, Gedeon Richter, ALK-Abelló and Exeltis placed first in this year’s Pharma Trend study. Chiesi has made a name for itself as a research company, especially in the field of respiratory diseases.
Chiesi: AIR, RARE and CARE
Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., headquartered in Parma, is a research-based, international pharmaceutical and healthcare company. The Group currently employs 6,440 people in a global organisation that includes 30 subsidiaries, seven research centres in Italy, France, the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom and Sweden, three production sites in Italy, France and Brazil, and representative offices in 90 countries.
Chiesi is dedicated to three therapeutic areas: AIR, products and services related to respiratory diseases; RARE, the treatment of patients with rare and very rare diseases; CARE, products and services for specialist care and self-medication.
The Chiesi Group generated revenues of €2.42 billion in 2021 with strong international growth of 8.6%. Half of these revenues were generated by leading products in the AIR segment. Chiesi developed products mainly for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma, such as Budiair®, Forair®, Foster®, Inovair®, Sanasthmax® and Trimbow®, including the necessary inhalation and nebulisation systems. The respiratory R&D pipeline was expanded through a partnership with UCB, including the commercialisation of a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody, transglutaminase 2, in fibrosis diseases.
In addition to the core area of respiratory diseases, Chiesi is increasingly involved in neonatology (Curosurf® for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome), transplantation medicine (Envarsus® for immunosuppression) and biotechnology (construction of a biotech centre of excellence plant in Parma). A separate business unit, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, is dedicated to rare diseases (including Ferriprox® for iron overload, Raxone® for optic neuropathy); it generates about 11% of total sales.
Chiesi’s Research and Development Centre in Parma employs 361 people. Expenditure on research and development amounted to 478.8 million euros in 2021, i.e. just under 20% of turnover.
The German subsidiary, Chiesi GmbH, based in Hamburg, employs around 375 people. As the second-largest sales company in the Chiesi Group, it generated sales of 308.7 million euros in 2021.
Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. has been recognised as a Top Employer® in eight countries worldwide: Italy, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Poland, Russia, the UK and the USA. More than 54 per cent of employees worldwide are female and almost two-thirds work in research and development.
