Esteve wins 2013 Society’s Night Awards
The company Biokit, also part of the BioRegion of Catalonia, finalist. Catalan Economy Minister Mas-Colell praised the efforts of private and public sector to create synergies and promote Catalan research and innovation.
By Biocat
The Commission for Knowledge of the Barcelona Economic Society of Friends of the Country (SEBAP) has awarded Esteve with the 2013 Society’s Night Awards for "the promotion of innovation, internationalization and application of knowledge" in the words of the Andreu Mas-Colell. Mas-Colell gave the award to Antonio Esteve, last Monday during a dinner held at the Hotel Alimara in Barcelona, which was attended by hundreds of people from the political, business and academic Catalonia.
Mas-Colell also highlighted the efforts of the private sector, universities and research centers in the country at the time of joining efforts to seek synergies and joint public-network "encourage research and innovation to create value to society."
Currently, 46% of Esteve sales relate to overseas markets and they have forecasted the percentage will reach 66% by 2015. In addition to the three production sites in Catalonia (both devoted to chemical activity in the pharmaceutical and other), the company has four chemical factories in China and Mexico, and subsidiaries in Germany, USA, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey. At present, its products, medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients are sold in more than 40 countries.
Regarding R&D, two examples of the strategic pharmaceutical laboratories are moving the preclinical new drug to Barcelona Science Park and participation in the project HIVACAT. HIVACAT is a public-private partnership with the Institute for AIDS Research IrsiCaixa, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, "la Caixa" Welfare projects and the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, which is developing a therapeutic vaccine for AIDS.
The 2013 Society’s Night Awards finalists were Biokit, focused on the field of in vitro diagnostics, and Comexi Group.
The president of the SEBAP, Miquel Roca, concluded the ceremony emphasizing the Society’s Night Awards aim to convey "a message of optimism, because in times like this, positive news are possible."