Europharm SMC is the European Pharmaceutical Association representing Small and Medium Sized pharmaceutical Companies.
Background
A preliminary meeting of representatives from small and medium-sized European pharmaceutical companies was organised in Rome in 2000. A subsequent meeting followed in Paris on 26th November 2001, attended by 70 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) from SMCs in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Sweden. It was here that common aims and objectives were agreed, and EUROPHARM SMC was founded.
Europharm's mission is to support and defend the interests of SMEs, in order to enhance their competitiveness and entrepreneurship within the global framework of the pharmaceutical industry.
Europharm SMC is a unique business network of pharmaceutical SMEs coming from all European countries who share this common goal. The association has its own staffed office, located in Brussels, Belgium.
Through specific programmes developped to support SMEs, the European Commission itself recognises the important contribution of SMEs in the development of the global European economy. Pharmaceutical SMEs in particular have been singled out as meriting further attention and development. They represent a high profile industry; in many instances they work in therapeutic areas where multinational companies do not operate; they develop innovative technologies for both existing and new products, and are often pioneers in totally new innovative areas of research.
Whereas on the one hand, globalisation and networking are key words for success, on the other, SMEs need additional factors to meet their challenges, such as swifter information exchange, new partners, and logistic support in R&D, product registration and pharmaceutical manufacture and distribution.