Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. is an Italian family controlled global pharmaceutical company based in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, Emilia-Romagna. Chiesi has 30 affiliates in the world, nearly 6,389 total employees and provides medicines to patients in 90 nations. Chiesi currently has revenues of 2.229 billion euros. According to 2020 official data from the European Patent Office (EPO), Chiesi Group, with 38 patents filed, is confirmed the first Italian Pharmaceutical Company and fourth among Italian Companies across all sectors for filing the highest number of patents. In June 2019, Chiesi became a certified B Corporation, thus choosing to adopt a new legal status under US and Italian law. This ensures Chiesi a legal protection to pursue a business model placing social and environmental values on equal footing with profits. Following the acquisition, in 1999, of

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

based Trinity Pharmaceuticals, Chiesi has also had a significant presence in Manchester, United Kingdom.

History

Established in 1935, Chiesi concentrates primarily on developing

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

, neonatological and rare disease drugs, along with those for treating

muscular Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscle ...

and

skeletal A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

conditions. Historical therapeutic solutions are a cortisone preparation indicated for

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

allergic rhinitis Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

and airway inflammation, launched in 1979, and a

surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...

life-saving treatment for

premature babies Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

, developed by two researchers at

Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...

t, Tore Curstedt and

Bengt Robertson Bengt A. Robertson was a Swedish physician and perinatal pathologist. Robertson was primarily known for the development of the synthetic lung surfactant known as Corusurf that brought relief to very small babies suffering from infant respiratory ...

. In the

rare disease A rare disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. In some parts of the world, an orphan disease is a rare disease whose rarity means there is a lack of a market large enough to gain support and resources for discove ...

area, a treatment for moderate to severe

limbal stem cell Limbal stem cells, also known as corneal epithelial stem cells, are stem cells located in the basal epithelial layer of the corneal limbus. They form the border between the cornea and the sclera. Characteristics of limbal stem cells include a slow ...

deficiency (LSCD), developed by the researchers Michele De Luca and

Graziella Pellegrini Graziella Pellegrini (born July 12, 1961) is an Italian Professor of Cell Biology and the Cell Therapy Program Coordinator at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. She has developed and championed cell therapy protocols in hospitals across ...

, was the first

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

therapy to be approved in Europe. As well as developing drugs in-house, Chiesi has a policy of developing drugs in collaboration with pharmaceutical businesses outside Italy. Chiesi's operations regarding neonatological drugs have come under criticism for patenting drugs that Chiesi has not been instrumental in developing. Because of this behavior, some of Europe's neonatology wards have experienced economic hardships.Louise Damløv,
Fra en 20’er til 800 kr: Medicinalfirma hæver prisen på livsvigtig medicin til for tidligt fødte børn
at dr.dk, 11 September 2016 The company holds over 4,000 international patents for more than 200 patents families, and employs approximately 944 people dedicated to Research and Development activities, including regulatory in the R&D centers in

(Italy), France, United Kingdom, Sweden, USA, Canada and China. 2010 was the year in which turnover broke through the Billion Euro barrier, with Chiesi recording sales growth of 16.4% over the figure for 2009. By 2013 turnover had reach €1,236, with increases coming primarily from outside the Italian home market. Chiesi Farmaceutici closes 2016 on a high with an annual turnover of €1.571 million, an increase of more than +7.0% on the previous year (+9.6% at constant exchange rates), and EBITDA equal to €448 million (a year-on-year increase of over 8.2%). The robust health of the company is reflected by its investment in innovation and development, with R&D expenditure rising by over +12.5% in the 2015–2016 period to reach €370 m in 2019, 19% of total sales. The Group currently has 49 active studies in research and development. In 2020 the Chiesi Group reached and exceeded a turnover of 2 billion Euro.

Therapeutic areas

Chiesi Farmaceutici researches and develops therapeutic solutions for respiratory diseases as Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), both characterized by a reduction in the respiratory flow but driven by a different pathophysiological pathway. New drugs are based on a technology which allows the creation of spray solutions for inhalation of extrafine particles. The company has his focus also on the preterm babies’ care, specifically regarding the treatment of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) and apnea conditions, both due to an under-development of the respiratory system. Natural surfactant administered via intra-tracheal route treats RDS, and may also be used for the prophylaxis in neonates at high risk of developing the disease. For the more severe apnoea episodes stimulant drugs are needed, such as caffeine-based treatments. Chiesi Farmaceutici is developing new therapeutic solutions in the area of rare and ultra-rare diseases. For limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a rare eye condition that may lead to blindness, a stem cell treatment has been developed and is marketed in Europe. In 2018, Chiesi achieved European marketing authorization for

velmanase alfa Velmanase alfa, sold under the brand name Lamzede, is a medication used for the treatment of alpha-mannosidosis. Velmanase alfa is a recombinant human lysosomal alpha-mannosidase. The most common adverse reactions include hypersensitivity react ...

, a first-in-class enzyme replacement therapy for alfa-mannosidosis, an ultra-rare condition. Chiesi is also present in nephropathic cystinosis and is developing a new product in Fabry disease.

Notes and sources

{{Authority control Pharmaceutical companies of Italy Italian companies established in 1935 Companies based in Parma B Lab-certified corporations