The pharmaceuticalindustry is one of the most developed industrieson the national market Laboratorios Beta, which started its activities in Buenos Aires in the 1940s, is a family business that founded its development upon the continuity of its purposes and technological innovation.
A long time has passed since its first plant on Gallo Street until its present location in its current premises on San Juan Avenue, to which La Rioja manufacturing plant and another plant devoted to pancreas processing were also added.
From that small family project developed by a reduced group of collaborators to the present structure contemplating an integrated organization consisting of approximately 700 persons, there is a big difference of human and technological resources but the same “idea-force” that inspired its founders.
Over the last 20 years great challenges brought about by new technologies and new patent and regulatory guidelines have been encountered. Laboratorios Beta faced the challenges successfully and obtained a well standing position on theArgentine pharmaceutical market as a result of a multidisciplinarywork team’s effort.
Three big entrepreneurial activities, which are the milestones of our history, were the development and production of insulins, the development and production of transdermal administration systems and the biotechnological project, currently in force. These achievements ledBeta to its current position of privilege in therapeutic areas such as insulintherapy and transdermal therapy.
In 1987 Laboratorios Beta launched Betasint, insulins manufactured from bovine and porcine pancreas. The raw material processing plant was installed in Cañada Rosquín (San Martín district- Santa Fe province) and final product manufacturing area is located in Buenos Aires.
Laboratorios Beta became the first and sole national manufacturer of insulin, keeping this privileged position on the market so far. The developments in this field ended in 1990 with the launching ofBetalin, semi synthetic human insulin from semisynthetic origin.
Later on Beta faced another challenge after beginning with the insulin project, the development of transdermal delivery systems i.e. a sophisticated technology only developed by a few companies worldwide.
Laboratorios Beta incorporated a highly specialized team of professionals which was leaded by a well-known pharmacologist and researcher,Prof. Dr. Francisco Stéfano. The success of this team resulted in the launching of the first 4-dayestradiolmatrixtransdermal systemat the end of 1989. In order to manufacture this device, Laboratorios Beta installed the first line of production (OK) in the hormonal area at La Rioja manufacturing plant. In 1995, Laboratorios Beta succeeded in launching on the market the first worldwide 7-day estradiol transdermal systemand in 1999 it launched the first matrix transdermal system combining estradiol and noresthisterone.
Finally, in 1996 Beta started the third above mentioned entrepreneurial activity, the biotechnological one,through a Research, Development and Transference of TechnologyProjectPlan (according to the initials in Spanish PIDT 167) with the Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine (according to the initials in Spanish IBIME = Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental).
For this business venture Laboratorios Beta incorporated a research and development team of specialists in Biotechnology, thus finishing the development stage of the firstproject, the manufacture of recombinant insulin. It installed a pilot plant in Buenos Aires which is equipped with last generation (OK) and highest technology.
These three projects on the reflect of the activities show “Idea-force” of the company,the “Innovative Pharmaceutical Technology”.
