This year Polpharma celebrates its 90th anniversary, and the anniversary was preceded by the launch of the Prometeusz Centre in October last year. Highly active substances are produced there. What does this term mean?

Highly active substances are effective even in very small doses. The most common active substances that we have produced so far, and for which Asia is mainly known, are used in doses measured in grams or milligrams. Highly active substances, on the other hand, are used in micrograms. They are very potent, which is why only small amounts are found in medicines. Why did we build the centre? The decision was made by Polpharma's management board because we found a niche in Europe and buyers for our products. Until now, there has been no place in Poland where such substances were produced. There is also very little such production in Europe due to the demanding manufacturing environment. It requires completely different technologies and installations than traditional production. Such places look like space laboratories.

What drugs and for what diseases are or will be produced at Prometeusz?

These are mainly active substances used in oncological diseases. They will be used in drugs used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and multiple sclerosis. This is the first stage of the centre's operation, and not all needs will be met. However, the foundations for production have been laid, we have the know-how, specialised technologies and installations, and above all, experts, so we are going to expand production over time.

The production you are talking about is characterised by innovation. What made Polpharma decide to embark on this path of development, and does this mean that you will evolve from a generic company into an innovative company, or is it a diversification of your portfolio?

We combine both approaches. Polpharma celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Throughout all these decades of operation, we have responded to the needs of patients, because that is the mission of a pharmaceutical company. We are an important part of Polish history. A lot has happened in the world over the years. There was the war, then the reconstruction of Poland, Russian domination, Solidarity. And during that time, Polpharma has continuously produced and developed medicines, and many of them have been groundbreaking. The company continues to grow – from producing the simplest medicines to complex ones that are difficult to manufacture. We are currently developing RNA technology. This is a new and innovative technology not found anywhere else in Poland. We have received a grant for this project from the Medical Research Agency. It should also be noted that Polpharma Biologics, which develops biological and biosimilar medicines, and JJP, which develops original biological medicines, have their origins in Polpharma. Another branch of activity is the aforementioned active substances. Polpharma is virtually the only company in Poland that produces active substances on a large scale. This is very important for drug security, because until now, Poland and Europe have been dependent on Asia.

What do we need to do to ensure the country's drug security and at what stage are we?

We are at the stage of raising awareness among those in power that without medication there is no health protection, no national security, and that this does not only apply to the military. It also applies to food security, energy security, and health security, including drug security. This awareness already exists. In the European Union, many mechanisms are being created to support this security. In Poland, a list of critical medicines has been drawn up by the Ministry of Health together with consultants, which are key to saving the health and lives of Poles. There are about 400 substances on it. Unfortunately, not many of them are made in Poland.

Questions arise as to why we need government's involvement and subsidies. We need this support precisely in order to manufacture drugs that are on the list of critical drugs. There are reasons why we do not do this. If there was demand for such production from our plants, we would have been able to handle it on our own a long time ago. However, these drugs are exposed to enormous price competition, mainly from the East. Pharmaceutical companies do not purchase these active substances from us, but from China or India, because price pressure from regulators in Europe has led to price reductions. If governments want us to produce drugs, we need a dialogue on support mechanisms so that we can compete in the market. This involves subsidies that will reduce our production costs and make us competitive, or accepting the fact that drugs produced in Poland, based on Polish active substances, must unfortunately be more expensive.