New Era for Sanovel in Turkey's Pharmaceutical Sector: Aiming to Reduce Import Dependency in Medicine

Sanovel, a leading company in Turkey's pharmaceutical sector, aims to strengthen its position in the global pharmaceutical market through domestic drug production, R&D investments and export-focused growth strategy. Within its 2035 vision, the company plans to double its sphere of influence, increase production of oncology medications in Turkey and contribute to reducing Turkey's dependency on pharmaceutical imports.

Sanovel, a longstanding company in Turkey's pharmaceutical industry, continues its growth through production capacity, R&D infrastructure and export activities. Hülya Yalın, Chief Executive Officer of Sanovel, stated that with 43 years of experience, Sanovel contributes to domestic drug production in Turkey, and noted that oncology, R&D, export and growth in global markets will be priority areas in the company's strategy going forward.

Yalın expressed that international investments have strengthened Sanovel's production and R&D capacity, contributing to Turkey becoming a stronger production and export hub in the pharmaceutical sector.

Sanovel has focused on domestic drug production for 43 years
Founded in 1983 by pharmacist Erol Toksöz, Sanovel today operates as a pharmaceutical company employing approximately 2,000 people.

The company's General Management is located in Istanbul Levent, while R&D and production activities are conducted at its high-tech campus in Silivri.

Hülya Yalın, Chief Executive Officer of Sanovel, evaluated the company's domestic production capacity as follows:
"Sanovel, founded in 1983 by the late pharmacist Erol Toksöz, has been one of the leading companies spearheading the development of Turkey's pharmaceutical industry for 43 years. Rooted in this land, Sanovel has grown without compromising its values of transparency, quality, science and human-centricity; today it has become a trusted solution partner for both our country and global markets."

Yalın noted that the company conducts its R&D, production, quality and export operations based in Turkey, emphasizing the strategic importance of domestic drug production in Turkey's health ecosystem.

Sanovel has over 400 licensed products
Sanovel's product portfolio covers different therapeutic areas including pain and inflammation, endocrine and metabolism, gastrointestinal, hematology, hepatology, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, neurology and psychiatry.

The company operates with over 60 brands and more than 180 products, while holding a total of over 400 licensed products.

The production campus in Silivri plays a central role in Sanovel's production and R&D work. From this facility where the company can produce different pharmaceutical forms, Sanovel exports pharmaceuticals to more than 50 countries across 5 continents, in addition to Turkey.

Sanovel achieves approximately 4-fold growth in pharmaceutical exports
Exports play an important role in Sanovel's growth performance in recent years. Over the past 5 years, the company has increased its international market exports by approximately 4 times, while raising production volumes from 60 million boxes to 91.5 million boxes.

The company also invested USD 26 million in its production facility over the past 5 years.

In her assessment of Sanovel's 2035 targets, Yalın stated that the company aims to become a stronger player not only in the Turkish market but also in the global pharmaceutical sector.

Oncology medications will be produced in Turkey
Oncology medications hold an important place in Sanovel's future strategy.

The company aims to produce oncology products, most of which are currently imported, in Turkey. Through projects developed in this context, the goals are to increase medication accessibility, strengthen domestic production and reduce Turkey's dependency on pharmaceutical imports.

Yalın stated that oncology investments are an important part of the company's 2035 vision, expressing that oncology medications produced in Turkey will contribute to both the health ecosystem and the country's economy.

Among Sanovel's 2035 targets are doubling its sphere of influence, ranking among the top 10 companies in the Turkish pharmaceutical market in the medium term and growing the Sanovel brand on a global scale.

Pharmaceutical exports to more than 50 countries
Sanovel's export activities began in 2005. Today, the company operates in more than 50 countries, notably Canada, the USA and Europe, expanding its presence in the global pharmaceutical market.

Sanovel supports the compliance of its production facilities with international standards through EMA and EU GMP approvals in Europe and US FDA approvals in the United States.

The company is awaiting more than 200 license approvals in current and markets it plans to enter.

In Sanovel's growth strategy, the European Union, USA, Canada, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and CIS regions are among priority markets.

Sanovel increases R&D investments
Sanovel, which emphasizes R&D work as one of the fundamental components of competitive strength in the pharmaceutical sector, works on new drug projects with an R&D team consisting of 80 scientists.

At the R&D Centre in Silivri, combination products, different dosage forms and ODT (orally disintegrating tablet) projects are being developed alongside conventional pharmaceuticals.

The company operates with the goal of being "first generic" in markets in the USA, Canada and Europe in addition to Turkey for products it develops.

Sanovel also positions cGMP and cGLP standards along with Quality by Design (QbD) approach at the centre of its R&D processes.

Patent and innovation emphasis in Turkey's pharmaceutical sector
Sanovel continues its activities in intellectual property and patent areas alongside its R&D work.

The company states that it ranks among the top 3 companies in patent application rankings made considering all sectors across Turkey.

This approach demonstrates that the company aims to increase its capacity not only in domestic drug production but also in pharmaceutical technologies, innovation and new product development areas.

Sustainability investments are also part of the growth strategy
Sanovel positions sustainability and social responsibility work as part of its growth strategy alongside production and R&D investments.

According to the company's statement, in 2025 a net reduction of 14.3 percent was achieved in carbon footprint and 13.9 percent in water footprint.

Sanovel also qualified to receive the Equal Opportunity Model Certificate while providing professional coaching support to 102 female students during the Republic's 102nd anniversary.

The company was also included in the "Turkey's Best Employers 2026" list prepared in collaboration with Forbes Turkey and Statista.

"Sanovel will continue to grow in Turkey"
Addressing claims that have been reported to the public regarding the company's partnership structure and management processes in recent times, Hülya Yalın emphasized that Sanovel continues its operations based in Turkey.

Yalın stated that international investors' interest in the company reflects confidence in Turkey's pharmaceutical sector's production potential, expressing that Sanovel will continue its investments in production, employment, R&D and exports.

The company aims to increase Turkey's pharmaceutical sector production capacity and expand its presence in global markets by focusing on domestic drug production, oncology medications, R&D investments and export areas in the coming period.