Power a New Made in Italy drove most of this growth, with international revenues up 14 per cent, while the domestic market grew only 2 per cent due to weak national demand.
Exports were the real star. The FAB13 recorded export growth of 16 per cent in 2024, far above the already impressive 10 per cent increase of Italy’s overall phar maceutical exports. Investments also surged: total investment (excluding acquisitions) grew by 21 per cent, while spending on re search and development jumped by 27 per cent to €1.4 billion.
Employment followed the same positive trend. The FAB13 workforce grew by 3 per cent overall, with a 2 per cent rise in Italy and 4 per cent abroad. In total they employ about 50,400 people, around 15,000 in Italy and 35,000 overseas. Half are women, more than 80 per cent hold a diploma or university de gree, and over 90 per cent have permanent contracts. Research is central: in Italy, 56 per cent of FAB13 employees work in R&D.
Their global footprint is im pressive. The FAB13 operate 65 production sites worldwide, 29 of them in Italy, and 51 research centres. They control 289 subsid iaries across the globe, allowing them to combine strong roots at home with a truly international reach. This structure guarantees efficiency, innovation and, cru cially, security of supply for mil lions of Italian patients.
In recent years these com panies have expanded through acquisitions, partnerships and licensing deals abroad. They are leaders in personalised medicine and orphan drugs for rare diseas es, often working at the frontiers of biomedical innovation. This makes them not only an eco nomic asset, but also a strategic one for public health.
The broader pharmaceutical industry in Italy tells a similar story. In 2024, companies as sociated with Farmindustria – both Italian and multinational – reached a production value of €56.1 billion, up 87 per cent from 2016. Exports hit €53.8 billion, an extraordinary 152 per cent increase over the same period.
High-tech pharmaceutical ex ports have almost tripled since 2016.
Italy is now the world’s sixth-largest exporter of medi cines and the third largest ex porter of packaged drugs, after Germany and Switzerland. The sector employs around 67,000 people, 12 per cent more than in 2016, and invests about €4 billion a year, over half of it in research.
Political leaders see pharma ceuticals as a pillar of the “new Made in Italy”.
The Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, has called the FAB13 “ambas sadors of Italian industry in the world” and announced new innovation agreements worth €731 million to support research projects with high technologi cal impact. Other policymakers stress the need for stability and smart regulation. They argue that issues such as the complex “payback” system – which forc es companies to refund part of public drug spending – must be reformed because it discourages investment. In a world moving beyond pure globalisation, quali ty, innovation and strong domes tic roots are seen as Italy’s best competitive weapons.
As Marco Fortis notes, Ital ian pharmaceuticals now stand alongside fashion, mechanics and food as a signature national strength.
The FAB13 show how compa nies can “keep their head and heart in Italy” while expand ing across the world. In doing so, they are not only improving health for millions, but also proving that Italy can lead in one of the most advanced industries of the 21st century.
Italia e Corea del Sud han no siglato una nuova alleanza strategica nel settore dei semi conduttori attraverso un accor do tra ANIE (Confindustria) e la Korea Semiconductor Indu stry Association (KSIA). Il Me morandum of Understanding è stato firmato durante la visita ufficiale in Corea del Sud della presidente del Consiglio Gior gia Meloni.
L’intesa, sottoscritta da Marco Vecchio e JeongHoi Kim, punta a creare una coo perazione stabile tra le filiere dei due Paesi, con l’obiettivo di rafforzare la produzione, fa vorire l’innovazione e aprire nuove opportunità industriali e scientifiche. La Corea del Sud è uno dei leader mondiali nella produzione di semiconduttori ad alta tecnologia.
Le principali aree di collabo razione includono l’elettronica per la mobilità elettrica e le energie rinnovabili, l’integra zione dei fornitori italiani nelle catene coreane e il co-sviluppo di tecnologie per intelligen za artificiale, IoT e industria smart. L’accordo mira a raffor zare l’autonomia tecnologica europea. In Italia il settore vale circa 1,8 miliardi di euro.
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