INTERNATIONAL
Sweden's Drug Industry Gains Strength Now small, the industry bids both for a rich home market and a place in world markets Sweden's drug industry is small by world standards, but for know-how, quality, and research it takes its place among such top producing countries as the U.S., Britain, Switzerland, and West Germany. Estimated total retail sales of drugs in Sweden hit $71.7 million in 1960,
about $9.50 per person. Per capita consumption of drugs in the U.S. is about $11.50. Total retail sales are divided among drugs produced in Sweden by independent manufacturers ( 5 4 % ) , those produced by Sweden's apothecaries' organization ( 2 3 % ) , and imported drugs ( 2 3 % ) .
SWEDISH DRUGS. Worker operates apparatus used in organic preparation of drugs for AB Astra, a major Swedish drug maker with sales of $35 million last year 60
C&EN
JULY
10,
1961
The domestic Swedish manufacturing industry produced only about $20 million worth of drugs in 1955. In recent years, retail drug sales have been expanding by about 13% a year, a higher growth rate than in any other sector of the chemical industry except ferro-alloys. Sweden has about 50 drug manufacturers, but many of them are very small. Government production statistics list as drug producers companies with as few as five employees. During the 1930's, Sweden's drug industry lived in the long shadow of Germany, Switzerland, Britain, and the U.S. It was only during World War II that, after being cut off from outside supply sources, Sweden found it necessary to build up a stronger domestic drug industry and decided to do it vigorously before competition returned when the war ended. Astra, for example, was relatively small during the thirties, and in 1939 had sales of just over $1 million. By 1945, Astra's sales had jumped to $3 million. In 1960, total sales of the Astra group of companies hit $35 million. Vigorous efforts to build up output and concentrate research effort brought rewards. In 1948, Astra, for example, hit a large jackpot with Xylocaine anesthetic. Other Swedish drug companies swung into action, too. AB Pharmacia marketed dextran, a blood plasma extender; AB Ferrosan discovered the antitubercular qualities of p-aminosalicylic acid and brought out PAS specialties; AB Kabi developed an influenza drug. Today Swedish pharmaceutical products can hold their own, not only in the home market and throughout Scandinavia, but in the competitive markets where the drug producing giants of the U.S., Britain, Germany, and Switzerland are already battling. Swedish exports of drugs in 1960 were valued at only $5.8 million, small in comparison to the U.S.'s $248 million and Britain's $124 million. But that $5.8 million represents a 3 3 %
increase over 1959 exports. Swedish drug imports at $18.4 million in 1960 were triple the exports, but the increase in drug imports was only 2 1 % . Swedish drug producers also are setting up foreign subsidiaries, selling licenses, and buying licenses. AB Astra has manufacturing and selling subsidiaries in 14 countries, holds license rights on synthetic penicillins
from Britain's Beecham Research Laboratories, and owns Astra Pharmaceutical Products, Inc., at Worcester, Mass., its biggest foreign subsidiary. AB Pharmacia licenses its blood plasma extender to Britain's Benger Laboratories, Ltd. (a Fisons subsidiary); AB Apoteksvarucentralen Vitrum (owned by Sweden's Pharmacists' Society) represents Eli Lilly in Sweden.
Astra Leads in Products, Sales Company
Products
AB Astra
Sales (Millions) 1955 I960
400 products include antibiotics, $16.45 vitamins, local anesthetics AB Pharmacia Blood plasma extender, seda... tives AB ApoteksAmino acids, hormones, muscle •.. varucentralrelaxants, allergens en Vitrum Antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins, AB Kabi 0.29 influenza drugs AB Ferrosan PAS, vitamins 3.29 AB Leo Drug specialties 2.32 AB Bofors Aspirin, benzocaine, chloramine, ... nicotinic acid, p-aminobenzoic Nobelkrut* acid, procaine HCI, etc. Antihistamines, spasmolytics, AB Recip anticholinergics, ataractics, antiseptics Hormones, veterinary preparaAB Ferring tions
$35 5.81 0.93
PENNSALT METHANE SULFONIC ACID CH3SO3H
Mol. W t . 96.09
Specifications
4.64 4.26 5.03 77.0 1.55
C o l o r . a m b e r (APHA 1600 max.) Sp. Gr. @ 2 0 / 2 0 ° C Acid
9 1 . 0 % (min.)
Chloride
0 . 1 % (max.)
Suggested uses catalyst
0.48
1.465
Methane Sulfonic
reaction medium
intermediate
* Sales for Bofors, 90% of whose business is in steel, guns, tools, and heavy chemicals, are for the company's entire operations. Source: British-Swedish Economic Review.
BRIEFS
L'Office Cherifien des Phosphates, a
the electric utility serving West Berlin, has started a study for a 151-megawatt nuclear power plant. Participating companies are Westinghouse Electric, Kaiser Engineers and Constructors, and Siemens-Schuckertwerke A.G., of Erlangen, Germany. The study is of a closed-cycle reactor and will be the basis for a proposal to build the plant under the joint U.S.-Euratom power reactor program.
Moroccan government-owned agency, has hired Dorr-Oliver to study the feasibility of a new vapor recompression phosphate rock drying process using nuclear power as a fuel source. Nuclear power may be economically competitive in Morocco, as the process requires substantial volumes of steam and Morocco has relatively high conventional fuel costs. Nuclear aspects of the project will also be studied by Burns & Roe, Inc., and Arthur V. Peterson Associates.
Electric Reduction Co.'s agricultural chemical plant at Port Maitland, Ont., Canada, has started production. The complex of plants, designed and constructed by Leonard Construction Co. in cooperation with Electric Reduction, will produce phosphoric acid and triple superphosphate for fertilizers and dicalcium phosphate as a mineral supplement for stock feeds. International Minerals & Chemical Corp. will, sell the phosphoric acid and triple superphosphate in the U.S.
United Carbon France S.A., a subsidiary of United Carbon, has started production at a new carbon black plant in Port Jerome, France. The $5 million plant, built by Compagnie Francaise d.'Enterprises, will produce 50 million pounds of furnace black per year for the French rubber industry, which is centered at Port Jerome. Port Jerome also has readily available oil feedstocks, the starting material from which United Carbon makes furnace black.
Berliner Kraft & Licht (BEWAG) A.G.,
METHANE SULFONYL CHLORIDE Mol. W t . 114.6
CH3SO2C1 Recent Lot Analysis Color
light straw
Titer
99%
Sp. Gr. @ 2 0 / 2 0 ° C
1.485
Suggested uses catalyst
intermediate
Available from pilot plant production Technical literature and samples available on request. Market Development Dept •Industrial Chemicals Division
PENNSALT CHEMICALS CORPORATION Three Penn Center • Philadelphia 2, Pa.
Pennsalt Chemicals ESTABLISHED 1850
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10, 1 9 6 1 C & E N
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