Swiss Biotech Report 2005

08 INDUSTRY STATEMENTS
ERNESTO BERTARELLI,
CEO SERONO
Based in Geneva, Serono is the third-largest
biotech company in the world. The company’s
research programmes are focused on reproductive
health, neurology, metabolism and growth. Its
products are sold in over 90 countries.
What are the advantages for a global biotech company
such as Serono to have its headquarters in
Switzerland
Ernesto Bertarelli: As a centre of first-class scientific
research, especially in life sciences, Switzerland has
proven to be an excellent location for a global
biotech company. There are many examples of fruitful
cooperation with Swiss universities or Swiss
Federal Institutes of Technology as well as with startup
companies. This favourable environment has been
supportive to our growth since we moved our headquarters
here in 1977. Nevertheless, the attraction of
Switzerland goes beyond purely scientific reasons.
I am convinced that the spectacular growth of our
company is a result of many political, social, environmental
and cultural factors that come together here.
How is Serono reacting to the consolidation
process that is taking place in the European
biotech industry
Ernesto Bertarelli, CEO Serono: «Creativity, innovation
and dynamism are the keys to discovering new
drugs.»
Ernesto Bertarelli: In the biotech industry, size is not
the determining factor of success. Creativity, innovation
and dynamism are the keys to discovering new
drugs. In fact, if a company becomes too large, the
decision-making process can become slow and unwieldy.
At Serono, we strive for the right balance. We
are confident in our own internal research and development,
but we do seize opportunities to strengthen
our discovery capabilities when they present themselves.
In 1998, we acquired the Geneva Biomedical
Research Institute, a basic-research arm of
GlaxoWellcome. In 2003, we acquired the flagship of
French genomics, Genset (now called Serono
Genetics Institute), and have incorporated its expertise
into our R&D. In addition, we collaborate with a
very large network of universities, research centres
and companies around the world. Recently Serono
signed several external R&D collaborations (e.g.
ZymoGenetics, Micromet and CancerVax). We have
also formed partnerships in areas such as marketing
with world-class pharmaceutical companies. A fine
example is our co-marketing agreement in the
United States with Pfizer for our MS therapy Rebif ® .
At Serono, we’re continuing to invest in the Swiss