In 1985, IBSA was still a small player in the pharmaceutical sector, with just two products in its portfolio. The first was Urogastrone, an anti-ulcer drug distributed exclusively in Japan, which had been the company’s only stable source of revenue for years. The other was Condrosulf in hard capsules, a treatment for osteoarthritis launched in 1982, which had not taken off.
But Arturo Licenziati did not give up. He decided to bet everything on that underestimated active ingredient. He changed the form and the approach: in 1986, he launched granules, followed by tablets in 1991. The new format made Condrosulf more manageable and practical. Patients began to prefer it. Doctors recommended it. And success followed.
Driven by this first victory, Licenziati began to look beyond Swiss borders. In the late 1980s, he identified a small company near Paris, Laboratoires Genévrier, which produced ointments and tablets. A partnership was formed. IBSA brought production in-house and began registering its products in France. The results were immediate: sales soared.
What seemed like an experiment soon became an expansion model. Italy was the next step, followed by the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Spain. Then South Africa. Then Hong Kong. Wherever there was an uncovered niche, IBSA arrived.
But it wasn’t just about exporting. With his ever-active mind, Licenziati developed new ideas. Two insights became new products: the anti-inflammatory patch Flector Tissugel and the mucolytic syrup Solmucol. Simple, concrete innovations designed for those who actually use the medicines. This marked the beginning of a new era for IBSA.