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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a conference call this afternoon with executives from leading pharmaceutical companies that are at the global forefront in treating the pandemic, and with policy, research and investment experts in the field of health sciences.
The purpose of the meeting was to create a roadmap with viable proposals for the development of a strong and competitive biopharmaceutical industry in Greece, which is one of the industries of the 21st century and offers great added value. The aim is for the industry to be based on research and innovation and make a decisive contribution to the economic development of Greece, using the country’s strategic position, its human resources, its infrastructure and the best practices applied abroad.
During the discussion, the participants, some of whom have experience investing in Greece, highlighted the talent and high-quality potential that exists in the country and noted the need to improve the framework for its development. They made special reference to the “open doors” found in the government and the prime minister’s office and highlighted the need to make changes in licensing procedures, in the management of bureaucracy, improve the technological infrastructure and promote changes in taxation. .
The strategic moves necessary for the development of research and production units in Greece, for the attraction of investment funds, for the connection of the newly formed sector with the academic world and for the creation of educational structures that will offer a high degree were also examined. of specialization in the management of biopharmaceutical companies. , even in collaboration with the main universities abroad.
In this context, it was pointed out that the development of model research centers and an ecosystem of competitive companies in Greece can make a decisive contribution to reversing the brain drain. Discussions of this type will be repeated periodically since, as has been stressed, development of this type “concerns not only today and tomorrow but also the day after tomorrow.”
“We have laid the foundation for a development model that is not necessarily based on the traditional comparative advantages that are always associated with Greece. What I hope is a specific roadmap with recommendations on the actions we can take to achieve this. Biopharmaceuticals based Innovation is a key sector for the development of the country. We certainly have the will and intention to follow this path. And I think the government is very good at promoting the necessary reforms, after first identifying what they should be. ” Despite the pandemic, we have already done important work despite the pandemic to make Greece more attractive for foreign investment, “the prime minister said at the beginning of the teleconference.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis made special reference to the number of Greeks and scientists of Greek origin who were at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic around the world.
“When the Covid pandemic broke out, and we started researching to find out who could help us manage the unprecedented health crisis, I was very impressed by the number of Greeks, the number of people of Greek descent, or the people who were related in some way with Greece, we finally managed to find and communicate with them. In this global search for talent, I think we have with us today a fantastic group of highly successful people in the field of biotechnology, some of whom played a key role in the fighting Covid. Noubar, Albert, George, we are very proud of their work. But as Stelios Papadopoulos pointed out, the real challenge is how to make the transition from where we are today, where we actually have a vibrant national pharmaceutical industry, but it is not exactly at the forefront in the fields of Research and Development, in “An industry based on innovation, which will be able to play a key role and n the emerging biopharmaceutical sector, “said the Prime Minister.
The teleconference was attended by Noubar Afeyan (President of Moderna, CEO of Flagship Pioneering), Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas (Harvard Medical School, President of ESETEK), Albert Bourla (President and CEO of Pfizer) of Moelis & Company), Nicholas Galakatos (Director Global Life Sciences at Blackstone Life Sciences), Emil D. Kakkis (Executive Director of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical), Costis Maglaras (President of Columbia Business School), Peter R. Orszag (Chief Financial Officer of Lazard), Sir Menelas Pangalos (Vice President Executive of AstraZeneca), Stelios Papadopoulos (President of Biogen, Exelixis, Regulus Therapeutics and co-founder of Eucrates Biomedical) and Vangelis Verget Biomedical), Michel Vounatsos (CEO of Biogen) and George Yancopoulos (President of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals).
On behalf of the government, the Minister of Education and Religions, Niki Kerameos, the Minister of Health, Vassilis Kikilias, the Deputy Minister of Development, Nikos Papathanasis, the Deputy Minister of Development, Christos Dimas, the Deputy Minister of Health, Vassilis Kontozhamanos, Akis Skertsos, Prime Minister’s Undersecretary and Government Spokesperson Stelios Petsas, Prime Minister’s Secretary General Grigoris Dimitriadis and Prime Minister’s Finance Office Head Alexis Patelis.
The entire introductory position of the Prime Minister.
“Thank you very much! It is my great pleasure to see you all via video conference. I have been in contact with several of you during this particularly turbulent year. I would really like to thank you again for taking the time to help us make the transition from a country that is not a major player in biotechnology globally, nor is it a leader in biomedical research, to a country that can and I hope will play a leadership role in these areas, how many people of Greek origin, or people who were somehow related to Greece, we finally managed to find and communicate with them.
In this global search for talent, I think we have with us today a fantastic group of highly successful people in the biotech field, some of whom played a key role in the fight against Covid. Noubar, Albert, George, we are very proud of your work. But as Stelios Papadopoulos pointed out, the real challenge is how to make the transition from where we are today, where we actually have a vibrant national pharmaceutical industry, but not exactly at the forefront in the R&D fields, in an industry based on innovation, which can play a leading role in the emerging biopharmaceutical sector, that is basically the challenge.
And we are certainly not experts at that. What I hope, as Stelios pointed out, is a specific roadmap with viable recommendations on the actions we can take to leverage our comparative advantages and make the innovation-based biopharmaceutical sector a crucial area for the country’s development. We certainly have the will and intention to follow this path. And I think we are also very good at promoting the necessary reforms, having first identified what they should be. Despite the pandemic, we have already done important work despite the pandemic to make Greece more attractive for foreign investment.
I would like to highlight some of the policies that we have already implemented. Regarding the domestic pharmaceutical sector, we have found a way to reduce the payback in exchange for the investments to be made by the (pharmaceutical) industry in Greece, while we have made the fiscal environment much more attractive for R&D expenses. We are starting to reduce taxes on work, something that I know is very important for those of you who are already active in Greece. We give important incentives to those who left Greece to return here. To the Greeks of the diaspora, but also to foreigners who wish to start their business activity in our country.
Therefore, one of our main objectives is to bring back the talent that left the country during the crisis. If Covid taught us one thing, it is that you can work from anywhere in the world. Why not work from a beautiful, safe country with a good network of connectivity and that offers the right incentive to create an ecosystem in the field of biopharmaceuticals based on innovation.
We are ready to implement proposals. I would like to end by saying that I am optimistic about the prospects for Greece. I believe that we address the Covid pandemic much more effectively than most countries. We faced difficulties in the second wave of the pandemic, but now the cases have been significantly reduced. As you may know, we are still locked up and will probably stay until the beginning of January and have put together a very detailed vaccination plan.
We have laid the foundations for a development model that is not necessarily based on the traditional comparative advantages that are always associated with Greece, such as eg. Eg tourism. We have done a lot to attract high-tech companies to Greece, you are probably aware of some of the flagship investments that have been announced. And innovation-based biopharmacy will be one of those areas where not much has been done yet, but it is one of the areas that I will personally focus on and do whatever it takes to develop this industry.
It would be a real shame, given the talent we have, if people who care about Greece, in one way or another, don’t take advantage of this. I stop here Stelio. I’ll let you lead the discussion and reiterate that the idea is to create this senior steering group, which could meet via zoom once every three months.
Of course you all have an invitation to visit Greece in the summer and I hope until then it will be much easier to travel. And then with Stelios, our team will work and focus on the details, on everything that needs to be done based on their own workable recommendations. Again, thank you all very much for your participation. I really appreciate it. “
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