Innovation is the driving force behind every technologically advanced industry, but for the pharmaceutical industry it plays a vital role since it concerns the health and quality of life of patients. For Chiesi, Research and Development are a true human and technological asset and, together with innovation, the driver of company growth.

Our Research & Development team represents a fundamental asset for the business. It comprises integrated functional areas focusing on pipeline projects including discovery and preclinical research, chemistry and manufacturing controls, drug delivery technology, clinical development, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, intellectual property, quality assurance, project management and leadership, and R&D portfolio management.  Moreover, R&D functions also support products already on the market through pharmacovigilance and regulatory activities, as well as active life cycle management programs.

The research and development team has its headquarters in the Research Center in Parma (Italy), and integrates with six other major research centers in Paris (France), Chippenham (UK), Cary (USA), Lidingo (Sweden), Shanghai (China) and Toronto (Canada). The goals of this experienced, cross-functional team are all focused on pipeline development globally and increased productivity to support business growth goals.

Most of Chiesi's medicinal products are the result of internal research, but the pipeline also includes products that arise from collaborations and partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies; however, 75% of the turnover derives from products developed internally.

The company has been investing an important part of its turnover in Research & Development for many years, and with constantly increasing percentage figures, so much so that in 2020 the Chiesi Group was the first Italian pharmaceutical company for investments in R&D and second among production companies. Italians.^[1]

The great commitment of the Group in Research & Development is underlined by another important statistic: Chiesi is among the pharmaceutical companies with the largest number of patents (4857 those filed in 2020) in Europe and is the first in Italy. ^[2]

The number of Research & Development programs continues to increase and diversify, enriching the therapeutic offer; however, Chiesi continues and will continue to focus on the three main therapeutic areas: respiratory, neonatology and specialist medicine. These three therapeutic areas are part of the history of the Chiesi Group and are complemented by new areas of research and expertise in various sectors: rare diseases, biotechnology and transplantology. Chiesi is expanding its range of products with different types of drugs alongside traditional small molecules, such as biological products (proteins) and advanced therapies (cell therapies), always maintaining an approach with innovative solutions to these new therapeutic areas.

This choice allows us to continue to develop and enrich our pipeline with studies that promise important developments for the future of our company, at the same time offering an opportunity for those patients with diseases with unmet needs and who are still lacking therapeutic options for their pathologies.

In the last 6 years, also thanks to investments in Research & Development, the Chiesi Group has been able to grow sustainably, increasing revenues by 52%, launching on average a new product every two years, inaugurating seven new branches and creating over 1200 new job roles.

^[1]     European Commission, Joint Research Centre, EU Industrial R&D Scoreboard 2020

^[2]     European Patent Office, 2020 Report.