Italy positions pharmaceutical industry as growth engine while stressing patient‑centred innovation

At a Senate conference on May 21, Stefano Vella, professor at Roma‑Tor Vergata, warned that “innovation without access is not innovation” and called for models that keep patients at the centre of biomedical progress. The event gathered legislators, scientists, patient groups and industry representatives to discuss new oncology drugs, anti‑infective therapies, vaccines and personalised medicine, and to stress the need for equitable, sustainable access to treatments.

In a parallel forum moderated by Fabio Insenga, Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, Farmindustria president Marcello Cattani and AIFA’s international relations director Armando Magrelli presented the sector as a strategic pillar of the Italian economy. Urso described pharma as “the concrete demonstration of how to win the innovation challenge” and highlighted record export growth – 7.2 % to the United States and 3.3 % globally in 2025 – putting Italy close to Japan as the world’s fourth‑largest exporter. The industry produced €74 billion in 2025, with €70 billion from export, and invests over €4.5 billion annually in R&D, fueling job creation and attracting foreign capital. Cattani called pharma “the heart of Italy’s manufacturing growth.”

Both forums underlined regulatory hurdles: Magrelli noted Europe’s “Critical Medicines Act, Biotech Act and pharma legislation reforms” to keep pace with rapid innovation, while Cattani warned that Italy still lacks a structured early‑access pathway for vaccines and advanced therapies. The discussions stressed the need for a value‑based, faster regulatory framework and addressed the impact of the U.S. “Most Favoured Nation” pricing model on global supply chains.