In 1996, Arturo Licenziati looked to the East with a new idea: developing fertility hormones. With his technicians, he devised an original purification method. However, raw materials were needed: these were found in China, in Shandong province. It was there, in well-organised villages where every menopausal or pregnant woman was registered, that IBSA found fertile ground. After 18 months of bureaucratic procedures, the Qingdao Huashan Biochemicals production site was born in 1998.
Salvatore Cincotti recalls that period: “When Dr. Licenziati entrusted me with the project to develop hormones in China, Shandong province offered the ideal conditions for collecting ‘raw materials’ (i.e. urine from pregnant and menopausal donors). We could rely on a highly organised village system, with easy access to homes and potential donors, thanks to registers listing the names of pregnant and menopausal women”.
Today, the site spans over five hectares, housing four production facilities, two R&D platforms, a vivarium, and a full quality control department. Hormones such as hCG and hMG are processed here before continuing their journey to Lamone for final purification. In 2016, an innovative project was launched for the biotechnological production of polysaccharides through fermentation and ultrafiltration processes.
Alessandro Ruggiero recounts: “In twenty-seven years, we have expanded significantly. In 1998, the company occupied 2,580 m², with a buildable area of 950 m² and only 80 m² of green space. Today, green areas cover 9,000 m², the total area is ten times larger, and we still have 27,000 m² available for future expansion. We started with 12 employees; now our team numbers almost 100”.
By 2017, the occupied area grew from 10,000 m² to 26,000 m². Industrially, this involved the construction of a fermentative chondroitin production plant, a crude hMG production plant, a wastewater treatment system, and a solvent storage park.