Nezih Barut Elected Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Industry Employers' Union

The Pharmaceutical Industry Employers' Association (İEİS) convened for an Extraordinary General Assembly on 23 October 2024. At the first Board of Directors meeting held following the General Assembly, Nezih Barut was reelected as Chairman. Ali Arpacıoğlu was appointed again as Vice Chairman. In his address at the General Assembly, Chairman Barut highlighted deficiencies in repayment arrangements for biotechnology investments, stressing the necessity of public support.

Nezih Barut, a leading figure in the pharmaceutical sector, was elected Board of Directors Chairman for the sixth time following the İEİS Extraordinary General Assembly. Ali Arpacıoğlu was reappointed as Board of Directors Vice Chairman. Speaking at the General Assembly, Nezih Barut pointed to South Korea as an example in the biotechnology field, emphasizing that Turkey should develop its own regulations in this area and that the state should support companies investing in the sector at every stage. İEİS Board of Directors Chairman Nezih Barut continued his remarks as follows: "The key to South Korea's success in biotechnology is having regulations tailored to their needs and the state providing support to companies at every stage. As Turkey, we should also provide this field with the support it deserves, as it creates an increasingly growing burden on the Social Security budget. Turkey should not miss significant opportunities in the biotechnology pharmaceutical field."

Localization and investment incentives in pharmaceuticals must increase

Nezih Barut emphasized in his address that localization in pharmaceuticals is an important agenda item. Noting that the localization initiative launched in 2016 had produced positive results but was halted due to a lawsuit filed with the World Trade Organization, Barut stated that a new localization process must be initiated for biotechnological pharmaceuticals. Nezih Barut said: "We have achieved significant gains in investment incentives for pharmaceuticals. Since 2016, we have benefited from Region 5 support, but our goal is to bring our investments under Region 6 support". İEİS Chairman Nezih Barut stated that all work conducted on behalf of the pharmaceutical sector during his tenure has been results-oriented, emphasizing that they continue to serve as the sector's strong voice with public institutions.

The pricing system must be permanently reformed

Barut noted that technological trends in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide are changing very rapidly, stating: "Revolutionary developments are occurring—from biotechnological and biosimilar drugs to gene technologies, personalized treatments and medications, to artificial intelligence, and the use of artificial intelligence in molecular discovery and manufacturing processes. The pharmaceutical industry is the sector that must allocate the most resources to R&D spending. However, due to the pricing system in our country, the budgets we can allocate to R&D remain very limited". Barut expressed that permanent reform of the pricing system is now necessary instead of temporary solutions. 

İEİS plays a determining role in the development of public policies

Noting that İEİS continues its leadership in the sector and plays a pioneering role in many areas, Nezih Barut stated: "As an association, we have achieved significant gains in accelerating licensing procedures, resolving reimbursement issues, and investment incentives. Our professional team at the General Secretariat of our association has played a determining role in the development of public policies. The secretariat of two pharmaceutical groups in the 12th Development Plan has been conducted by our association. As İEİS, we continue to be the sector's strongest representative with the public".