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Farmindustria is the Italian Association of Pharmaceutical Companies and was founded in May 1978. It is a member of Confindustria (the Italian National Federation of Industry), the European Pharma Federation (EFPIA) and the World Pharma Federation (IFPMA). It has about 200 member companies – 40% of which are nationally-owned and 60% foreign-owned – with over 120 plants all over the nation, 68,600 highly-qualified employees (44% of whom are women) and ever younger staff ( under 35s have increased by 16% just in the last 5 years, more than the total employment rise in the sector). With 49 billion Euro-worth of production, pharmaceutical companies in Italy are the leaders in the EU together with Germany and France, representing a strategic value for healthcare, growth and national safety.

Italy is among the top protagonists in pharmaceutical research thanks to over 6,900 researchers and investments of 3.3 billion Euro per year (1.4B in production and 1.9B in Research and Development). This is demonstrated by the specializations of excellence in clinical studies, biotechnological and chemical medicines, vaccines and antibodies for preventive purposes, plasma derivatives, CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization), advanced therapies and orphan medicines. A plethora of companies and development woven into networks within and across the nation with its public and private excellences, universities, science parks, start-ups and non-profit organizations.

The pharmaceutical industry gives strength to the entire Italian economy: in the five-year period 2017-2022 exports exceeded 90% of production (on average) and employment recorded one of the greatest growths in Italy at +9%. The sector has also long been committed to a more sustainable economy that is more attentive to health, well-being and education, in line with the UN 2030 goals. In these difficult years, also marked by the growing pressure on the EU from other macro-sectors - in particular the USA and China - the importance of the pharmaceutical sector in Italy appears even more evident.

The Association has launched many projects for young people, including collaboration with the Higher Education Technical Institutes (ITS) in New Technologies of Life, with an Academy that gives young people specialized skills in line with the profiles necessary for the sector, and the School-Work Alternation, aimed at guiding students.

The relations between the companies associated with Farmindustria and the scientific-healthcare world are regulated by a code of ethics that is currently among the most rigorous in Europe. Farmindustria pursues the creation of a stable regulatory environment and a pharmaceutical policy that recognizes the vital role of the sector for the growth of life sciences in the country. For this reason, it promotes reflection on the policies necessary to stimulate development for the good of Italy and its citizens, also thanks to numerous roadshows at member companies that show ‘live’ both innovation and value production of pharmaceuticals.