Focus on medicine research. The global service-lending of Analytico Medinet
The article below has been placed in the april 2004 issue of Managementinfo magazine
"Independent laboratory research for the global pharmaceutical industry is undoubtedly one of the most important spearheads for Analytico Medinet BV in the coming years." General Managing Director Wicher Wichers, in the booming business of medicine research, sees the possibility to make maximum use of the added value of the world-wide network of Analytico Medinet. "We offer added value in all sub-areas of both bio-analytical and clinical laboratory research. The sphere of activity begins with the required registration and culminates in the four phases of medical research. We work on order of large pharmaceutical companies, but meanwhile also serve the regional market of general practitioners and occupational health and safety services. Striking in all this is that our name enjoys greater awareness in the head offices of the pharmaceutical giants in America than in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe."
Analytico Medinet has grown out into a global player in all respects. Through the link on the one hand with the parent company Eurofins (see box), and on the other via international connections with leading laboratories in the United States, South Africa, Asia and Australia. From a regionally distributed network of laboratories in the Netherlands, the home market, the company conducts blood analyses and does research work for general practitioners and occupational health and safety services. In the last few years particularly bio-analytical service-lending went through sharp growth. A strong point in this is that Medinet - thanks in part to far-reaching automation - is not only an expert in analysis itself but is additionally able to take on the complex logistical process surrounding the handling and protection of thousands of unique, costly samples. "A pharmaceutical company that wants to bring a new medicine on the market must undergo a very strictly regulated process of test procedures before any international registration of the medicine is possible. Medinet, in the role of independent facilitating service-lender, takes care of both reliable analysis and the logistical handling of the samples."
Privatisation
Analytico Medinet believes that it can make an important contribution to the pressing budget problems in health care without extra government investments. The company predicts that the government can save hundreds of millions of Euros through "finally" allowing some form of privatisation in health care. A good area where Minister Hans Hoogervorst can make up for the deficit of the AWBZ [Algemene Wet Bijzondere Ziektekosten, National Health Insurance] involves hospital outsourcing of laboratory services to a private laboratory organisation such as Medinet. At the moment a hospital has to have its own laboratory due to the urgent nature of certain research. This is a strictly hands-off issue, as far as Mr Wichers and his associates are concerned! But over and against that is the fact that a commercial organisation, thanks to scale advantages, is able to conduct the great bulk of research and analyses with considerably more efficiency. "Substantially lower in costs," adds Mr Wichers. Reliable research data from abroad underscore this contention and open up the prospect of impressive savings. Analytico Medinet is now already one of the largest private companies in the area of service in medical laboratories. "The lack of any market function is perhaps the biggest shortcoming in health care", says Mr Wichers about the consistent disregard of his fiery wish. "There's no longer any more debate about the quality of medical laboratory research. All work is regulated in protocols under lawful regulations and standards. Sooner or later, the world of health care will open its doors to the free market," says Mr Wichers. "This is already the case in Germany and Belgium and the statistics don't lie about it. From the point of view of costs, neither is any other solution possible in the Netherlands on the long term. I'm convinced of that. We continue to follow developments with Argus eyes, but when the right time comes, I will personally be the first to knock on the door in The Hague."
Attractive acquisitions
Since April 2001, the private laboratory organisation Analytico Medinet BV has been flying the colours of the listed French multinational Eurofins. This company has subdivided all its activities in three divisions: food, the environment and pharmaceuticals. In this connection, Analytico comes under the pharmaceuticals division and operates under the brand name Medinet. This smallest division is at the same time also the most ambitious. Medinet cooperates with leading partners in the United States, South Africa, Japan and Australia. The search for attractive acquisitions, meanwhile, is continuing unabated. The focus has mainly centred on the United States. With a market share of at least sixty percent, the United States is the largest market for pharmaceutical research in the world. To keep its status of global player, Medinet is feeling pressure to strongly expand its activities on the other side of the Atlantic. Along with the internationally renowned analyses, Medinet also offers laboratory-related IT systems and solutions. The great diversity of knowledge in combination with high-quality equipment reinforces the unique character of Medinet in the market. Along with the cross-border branches Medinet also continues to serve the local Dutch market for general practitioners and laboratory and occupational health and safety services.
