Adamed Pharma attended the 14th European Economic Congress

Topics addressed during more than 150 debates ranged from green transformation, global trade, geopolitics and digitization to science and competencies in a changing world. However, the main focus was the war in Ukraine and its effects. The innovative potential of the Polish pharmaceutical industry dominated the session titled “Pharmaceutical Industry”, of which Adamed Pharma was a Partner.

Faced with a new global geopolitical reality together with rapid changes in interconnectedness around the world, businesses have no choice but to implement various adaptations. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception. On the first day of the Congress, Adamed Pharma participated in the debate “Pharmaceutical Industry” focused on the challenges and opportunities for drug development and innovation in the Polish pharmaceutical industry.   

Katarzyna Dubno, Public Affairs & Market Access Director at Adamed Pharma S.A., took part in the discussion alongside delegates of the Polish Parliament, Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Ministry of Economic Development, Labor and Technology, Medical Research Agency, and representatives of industry and science.

At the beginning of her speech, Director Dubno, referring to the previous speakers, drew the participants’ attention to the upcoming changes in the definition of innovation. “It is already openly acknowledged that the Polish pharmaceutical and generic drug industries are innovative. We also know that the allocation of resources from EU funds and other budgets will be based on the new criteria for measuring innovation, defined in the Oslo Manual. We are very happy about this because we have been saying for years that innovation is not only about breakthroughs, but also all sorts of improvements and changes.”

One of the focal points of the debate was the issue of improving innovation in the pharmaceutical industry with the European Funds for Modern Economy. It is one of the main programs funded under the new Cohesion Policy 2021–2027, offering resources that may bring tangible benefits to European citizens. Małgorzata Szczepańska, Director at the Department for Innovation and Development Programs, Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, highlighted in her presentation that the pharmaceutical industry is included among the National Smart Specializations. Consequently, the Ministry will support the pharmaceutical sector through the allocation of EFMEs.

As announced by Katarzyna Dubno: “Adamed is preparing to use the resources from EFMEs for the development of drugs in new areas and for the production of APIs based on state-of-the-art technologies that will not harm the environment.”

Marlena Tryka, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation and Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Economic Development, Labor and Technology, stated that the pharmaceutical industry was among the most innovative sectors in Poland. She added that support should be given to activities that aim to secure uninterrupted patient access to medications, including the manufacturing of APIs for medicines, finished generic pharmaceuticals, and the development of biotechnology.

Adamed’s representative also outlined the company’s key innovation activities. “We are aware that innovation requires constant investment. Since 2001, we have spent close to PLN 1.9 billion on investment and innovation. We plan to spend another billion by 2025, and additionally allocate 120–130 million on R&D. We are also in the process of expanding our Production and Logistics Center in Pabianice, which will be provided with a range of automated and digitized solutions. Recently, we have also invested in new R&D infrastructure in Kajetany near Warsaw” – said the Director.

In addition, Katarzyna Dubno summarized the company’s major investment and innovation projects implemented in recent times. Of note, in 2021 Adamed continued a total of 52 R&D projects and went through with nearly 1,400 approval processes for the company’ drugs in dozens of markets worldwide.

In her conclusions, Katarzyna Dubno highlighted that Poland needed a robust pharmaceutical industry, with well-developed production and drug development capabilities, in order to build a resilient healthcare system with a stronger crisis preparedness and response. Financial resources, whether reinvested by companies themselves or allocated from various funds, should be used to build this resilience.

European Tech and Start-up Days

This year’s edition of the Congress was again accompanied by the European Tech and Start-up Days and the Start-Up Challenge. The latter was a competition involving the initiators and leaders of top 15 most interesting Polish and European start-ups who had an opportunity to share their ideas on the stage in Katowice. Adamed’s representative, Marcin Szczeciński, Investment Manager, joined the expert panel evaluating new start-ups in the category of HEALTH & BIOTECHNOLOGY – medicine, health, medical technologies, pharmacy, biotechnology. The winning title of Start-Up Challenge 2022 went to Doctor.One. The start-up is building a European-wide medical network where doctors are able to provide continuous patient care based on a simple subscription model.

“The submissions for Start-up Challenge – the competition accompanying the European Economic Congress – are usually very strong, and this year was no exception. In the Health & Biotechnology category semi-finals, the jury panel had quite a challenge. The contenders submitted unique solutions ranging from the design of a novel biotechnological drug for the treatment of COVID-19, through AI-based technology to aid radiologists in their work, to an application building and supporting a new model of patient-doctor relations. The winning spot in the category went to Doctor.One. We keep our fingers crossed for them in their mission to build a trusting relationship between doctors and patients” – said Marcin Szczeciński, Adamed’s Investment Manager.

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European Economic Congress (EEC) is the largest business event in Central Europe offering a forum for debates on the future of the European and Polish economies. This year’s EEC was held at the International Congress Center in Katowice, on 25–27 April 2022. The European Economic Congress brings together high-profile figures from the world of politics, business, science and economics, both from Poland and abroad.          

The key topics discussed during the Congress were related to the current challenges faced by Europe because of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia’s aggressive policy, and changes in the global geopolitical architecture. These are the biggest challenges facing Europe, its people and European economy in decades, with a wide-ranging impact on a number of economic areas.

The European Tech and Start-up Days, an event accompanying the EEC, once again featured the Start-up Challenge competition. The idea behind this international exchange of innovative projects by young companies is to connect creative, innovation-oriented businesses and their leaders with investors interested in novel opportunities. This year’s edition of the Start-up Challenge attracted nearly 150 submissions in five competition categories: economy, environment, health & biotechnology, business processes, and client & lifestyle.