Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency

One of Hungary's renowned pharmaceutical companies was founded by Gedeon Richter, pharmacist, in 1901, when he bought the Eagle Pharmacy, which belongs to the company to this day. In the laboratory of this pharmacy, he succeeded in laying the foundations of not only his own company but the whole Hungarian pharmaceutical industry as well. Richter subsidiaries are now present in more than 40 countries, with a total of 5 production sites, 29 representative offices and 38 commercial subsidiaries and wholesalers. The company has branches in Dorog, Debrecen, Kővágószőlős and Szeged in Hungary. At these plants, it manufactures more than 200 types of medicines, including original, generic and licensed products.

The market for biotechnology-based medicines is a new area of the pharmaceutical industry offering a huge potential. Today, 7 of the 10 drugs with the largest trade volume globally are of biotechnological origin. Recognizing its importance, Richter Gedeon made a strategic decision in 2006 and opened up towards this the area by realising significant investments. The result of this decision was the biotechnology plant in Debrecen, which started operating in 2012 and is constantly developing. First, the department developing and manufacturing biosimilar active ingredients expanded, and then the Molecular Biology Laboratory performing R&D tasks was opened.

The development now handed over is part of a comprehensive capacity expansion program worth HUF 15 billion, the main pillars of which being international competitiveness, innovation in Hungary and Hungarian intellectual performance. With its floor area of 3,500 square meters, the building complex accommodates meeting rooms, a conference room, a restaurant, an occupational doctor's office, and rooms for mechanical, electrical and network systems in addition to the 72 office workstations. Richter is committed to using innovative, environmentally conscious solutions, so a significant part of the building's electricity needs is met by a rooftop solar park.

These added, the total value of the Debrecen investments exceeded HUF 40 billion and this is how Hungary's sole biotechnology site was created, which is also unique in the Central and Eastern European region having a single location for cell line research & development, manufacturing and quality control.

The production-oriented Hungarian economy is increasingly moving towards an economy inspired by innovation, research and development. Developments in the pharmaceutical industry can be a breakthrough point for the Hungarian economy: companies in this sector spend the most on innovation in proportion to revenue. In 2019, the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry exported in unprecedented quantities, so the Hungarian pharmaceutical export ranks 18th worldwide, while and medicines manufactured in Hungary are used in 130 countries around the world.