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400,000. This is the approximate number of doses of the cancer drug Xofigo that have been produced and exported from the Kjeller Department of Energy Technology (IFE) in the last seven years.
The drug is a radiopharmaceutical and emits radioactive radiation in the form of alpha particles. Because alpha particles act in a short radius, they can kill cancer cells effectively without damaging the surrounding tissue to the same extent.
Xofigo is used to treat patients with prostate cancer that has spread to the skeleton.
The Norwegian-developed drug will now be shipped to China, where good market opportunities are forecast.
– We are very glad to be the supplier and manufacturer of this medicine in China. It shows some of the potential found in Norwegian drug production and export, says Erik Flatmark, division director of radiopharmacy at IFE.
Large export industry
The drug was first developed by Norwegian Algeta, which in 2014 was acquired by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. Since then, Bayer has invested more than NOK 2 billion in, among other things, research and development in Norway.
With China in the team, the product is now approved for sale in 54 countries.
– China is the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world. This market is very important, and this gives us a unique position to take value creation here in Norway to a new phase, says Jan Børge Jakobsen, CEO of Bayer.
According to the Health Industry Report released in 2019, there are great export opportunities for these companies in the years to come. The healthcare industry already accounts for several billion in export revenue.
An example of this is GE Healthcare, an American company that, among other things, manufactures ingredients for contrast agents used in X-rays. According to the report, the company’s processing plants in Oslo and Lindesnes represent the export product. largest country to China after oil.
– It’s a fantastic story, and we have a pretty strong growing healthcare industry in Norway. Even during the drop in oil prices, this industry grew. Not least, it is a highly profitable and skill-demanding industry, perfectly suited to Norwegian conditions, says Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie (H).
– It rarely goes this way
Norway is first and foremost an importer of medicines. These often have to go through a long journey before ending up in Norwegian pharmacies and hospitals.
The journey often begins in China or India, the largest manufacturers of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry. The active substances are then shipped to other countries, where the drugs are assembled and packaged, before they are further distributed.
- Want to learn more about all the joints a medication must pass through before it ends up on Norwegian shelves? Read this case.
Xofigo’s main raw material is imported from abroad, but all subsequent production and distribution takes place at IFE in Kjeller, where they have worked with radiopharmaceuticals for the past 70 years.
– It is unique, because we do not have much production of this type in Norway. It is also rare for drugs to go that way, says the Minister of Health and Care Services, noting that the products are shipped from Norway to China.
Høie believes that the healthcare industry will be able to create more new and profitable jobs in the coming years. The collaboration between Bayer and IFE is said to have already created more than 400.
– I also have high hopes for many other outbreaks with similar stories, especially in the field of cancer, and I am fully convinced that the healthcare industry will be one of the pillars on which the Norwegian welfare society will be supported.
Bayer’s Jakobsen says that the collaboration with IFE has made Oslo an international “center of excellence” within radiopharmaceuticals, and that they have plans to further develop the collaboration. He believes Norway is in a unique position to develop into “niche segments” like this, and says the ministry is responsive.
– The will is there, but then you have to put it into practice. We need tools that are effective in making Norway an attractive host nation for the pharmaceutical industry.
