LATINA – 80 million euros, of which 125 will go to support an increase in production capacity and to build skills for the future. It is the size of the investment that the multinational “Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine” will invest in Italy over the next five years. The announcement was made on Friday during an event organized at the Borgo San Michele plant in Latina in which this strategic plan provides a investment growth in Italy of 9.2% each year in the period 2019-2023, three times higher than the pharmaceutical sector average, according to a new study by The European House – Ambrosetti. This already is translated into a 15% increase in employment in Italy in the last five years, growing to approximately 1,400 employees across the country. In the pharmaceutical panorama, Johnson & Johnson stands out for its strong attention to “Research and Development (R&D)”: in the last five years, the company has invested almost 50 million euros in Italy (+11.7% every year since 2019). Investments in R&D also foster a strong commitment to scientific research in the country. In 2023, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine managed 114 clinical trials and collaborated with 993 research centers in Italy, offering access to care to more than 5,000 patients.
The site of Latina, which represents an important part of Johnson & Johnson’s global supply chain, produces more than four billion tablets per year, for around 30 different products with 97% of production being exported, reaching patients all over the world. The investment plan will allow an increase in production capacity by more than 25%, as it will include innovative projects to support products under development and new production technologies, com and the Flex Line, to more efficiently manage the packaging of small production batches and a new continuous production line that will reduce the total end-to-end production time and allow drugs to reach patients more quickly.
“The Johnson & Johnson plant in Latina, Italy, is experiencing a significant evolution- hstated the general manager of the Johnson & Johnson plant in Latina, Jorge Lopez– as we enhance our capabilities to serve more patients with innovative products. It has been recognized as a “4IR (Industry 4.0)” site by the World Economic Forum due to our commitment to innovation and sustainability. This is a truly exciting time for our site. We have very passionate and committed collaborators, who focus on safety, quality and reliability as we work to deliver medicines to patients around the world every day.”
“Johnson & Johnson– added Oladapo Ajayi, Vice President of the Johnson & Johnson group– has a productive presence significant across Europe and the Latina site is an important part of our global network. We continue to make significant investments in our Supply Chain to support the growth of our current portfolio of medicines and our pipeline of innovative solutions, which will allow us to continue providing products to the millions of patients around the world who rely on us every day ”.
“From 1975- hremembered Mario Sturion, Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Italy – we are a company strongly rooted in Italy. With this extraordinary investment we strengthen our concrete commitment to favor and increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of the country, strengthening excellent pharmaceutical research and production. We trust that innovation continues to be welcomed and adequately recognised, that the clinical trials ecosystem improves and becomes faster and that the constructive dialogue between institutions and industry, already started by the government, continues and remains active. Every day we work together with all our stakeholders in the healthcare system to contribute to the development of the sector, with the aim of bringing innovation to our patients and to the National Health System”.
“The Latina event – were the words of the Minister of Business and Made In Italy, Adolfo Urso- it shows us how the pharmaceutical sector has become a new growth model for Made in Italy, thanks to the impressive investments in research and innovation. This growth, 60% driven by foreign companies, allows the local production fabric involved in the supply chain to grow equally and promotes its internationalisation”.
“It deals with- Minister Urso specified – of a sector that can give great satisfaction in opening Italy to the world and bringing the world to Italy. L‘Italy, following the European elections, has become the most reliable country at European level capable of attracting more and more foreign investmentsthe”.
“The pharmaceutical center of Lazio has a crucial role. It is a sector that focuses on quality- added the president of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca- cas demonstrated by the level of staff employed and the large investment in the research and development sectors. The objective for the future remains to further strengthen the pharmaceutical and biomedical sector and launch, as a structural project the Rome Technopole, also thanks to the resources coming from the PNRR, thus giving new life to the industrial sector and at the same time building concrete responses to people’s health needs in the diagnostic and therapeutic field”.
The president of the Senate Budget Commission, Nicola Calandrini, declared that “being able to boast in the Lazio region the
“The announcement by Johnson & Johnson, which will invest 580 million euros in Italy over the next 5 years – highlighted the president of Farmindustria, Marcello Cattani – is further proof that the pharmaceutical industry as a whole continues to firmly believe in our Nation. It is no coincidence that production exceeded 50 billion euros, with exports of 49. Exports which in Latina reached 2 billion in the first quarter of 2024, +41% compared to 2023, consolidating the first position in the country. In Italy, pharmaceutical employment, especially among young people and women, continues to grow, reaching 70,000 workers”. “Results resulting from investments, over 3.5 billion in total, which demonstrate the deep roots in the territory of companies with international and national capital. With new rules capable of attracting investments, even more can be done. A path that the Italian government is following – he concluded – because it considers the Life Sciences sector important and strategic”.
The president of the Region’s Economic Development Commission, Enrico Tiero (Fratelli d’Italia), also participated in the presentation of this demanding investment plan: “I strongly appreciated the announcement of this important investment of 580 million euros in Italy over the next 5 years, of which 125 million to support the increase in the production capacity of the Latina plant. A choice that should fill us with pride and which rewards the absolute excellence of the province of Latina. The plant in the Pontine capital is, in fact, one of the most modern and innovative centers of pharmacological and technological innovation in the world: a true Italian excellence, certified by various national and international agencies. At the Janssen plant in Latina, 4.5 billion tablets are produced per year. The investment plan will allow an increase in production capacity by over 25%, as it will include innovative projects to support products under development and new production technologies.” Extraordinary investments have been made at the Borgo San Michele plant in recent years: “The growth in the number of employees, which went from 320 people to 778, deserves to be underlined, despite the introduction of automation which is often thought to erode jobs. There are also truly innovative production plants, ‘unique’ in Italy, and this confirms that the value of people is fundamental. One of Janssen’s main success factors is its investment in human resources. People are the heart of this company and this is why we constantly invest in young graduates or even recent graduates from specific technical institutes” – concluded President Tiero.
