On 13 July, Lusofarmaco marked its 75th anniversary – a milestone measured not only in figures, results and innovations, but also in the work of the people who, with skill and a sense of responsibility, have built the company over the years.
Lusofarmaco was founded in Milan in 1951 by two Portuguese entrepreneurs, who set out to produce and market in Italy medicines already well established in Portugal, a link the company’s name still bears witness to today. In the seventy-five years since, medicine, technology and the needs of patients have all changed profoundly.
In 1983, Lusofarmaco joined the Menarini Group – Italy’s largest pharmaceutical company and one of the leading names in the sector worldwide – following its acquisition by Alberto Sergio Aleotti. Within the Group, the company has gone on growing while keeping an identity of its own, rooted in the values of integrity, commitment, flexibility and transparency.
Today Lusofarmaco is firmly established in the three therapeutic areas that have shaped its history – respiratory, neurology and cardiovascular – where it develops solutions aimed at improving patients’ quality of life. Research goes hand in hand with a lasting commitment to those who live with these conditions, and to their families.
To mark the 75th anniversary, the company’s headquarters in Rozzano, on the outskirts of Milan, hosted an event that brought together institutions, healthcare representatives, health professionals and local organisations. Over the course of the day, a series of round-table discussions saw institutions, clinicians and patient associations debate the therapeutic areas that have accompanied the company’s growth, as well as the challenges that lie ahead for the healthcare system.
Among those attending the event were the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana; the Chair of the Lombardy Region’s Committee on Social Sustainability, Housing and Family, Emanuele Monti; the Mayor of Rozzano, Mattia Ferretti; and Lucia Aleotti and Alberto Giovanni Aleotti, shareholders and Board members of Menarini.
The company’s bond with the local area was also underlined by the Mayor of Rozzano, Mattia Ferretti: “It is a great honour for our community to host and celebrate such an important milestone for a company that chose our area as the home of its business and its growth. The success the company has achieved bears witness to the value of a path built on competence, innovation and responsibility, and is a source of pride for our town.”
For the occasion, Lucia and Alberto Giovanni Aleotti reaffirmed their vision: “Celebrating these 75 years means recognising the importance of our group’s history in order to look to its future: we believe in Italy and in the value of our country’s pharmaceutical industry. In an international context in which the United States and China are seeking to wrest our industrial base away from Europe, it is essential to support the companies that choose to grow and create value locally. It is a challenge that calls for ever closer collaboration between businesses and institutions, so that Italy can continue to be a competitive country and an attractive destination for investment.”
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In the photo, from left to right: Alberto Giovanni Aleotti (shareholder and Board member of Menarini), Lucia Aleotti (shareholder and Board member of Menarini) and Barbara Cicero (General Manager of Lusofarmaco).
Over the past seventy-five years, technology, patients’ needs and the challenges of healthcare have changed beyond recognition. One conviction, however, has never wavered: a pharmaceutical company’s role does not end with making medicines. It also means helping to advance knowledge and acting responsibly towards patients, healthcare professionals, institutions and communities.
It is a view echoed by Barbara Cicero, General Manager of Lusofarmaco: “Seventy-five years is an important milestone, but above all it is a responsibility. No journey this long is made alone. It is made together with the people who work for the company every day, with health professionals, with institutions and with the communities in the areas where we operate. Today we celebrate our history, but our eyes are firmly on the future, as we aim to keep generating value for patients and to help shape the evolution of the healthcare system.”
If these 75 years had to be summed up, three words would do – the same three that still guide every decision the company takes: people, health, responsibility. They are the principles that have brought Lusofarmaco this far, and they will keep guiding it in the years ahead.
