Zentiva: Growing into a regional pharmaceutical powerhouse

By 2021, Zentiva relied on an internationally diversified network of manufacturing sites, ensuring the production and supply of medicines to millions of people in Europe and beyond. Employing more than 2,300 employees in its wholly owned sites, primarily in Eastern Europe, Zentiva produced medicines that were sold in more than 40 countries. Against the backdrop of changes in the pharma industry – particularly in Europe and in the leading generics market players, which were focused on gaining scale to reduce manufacturing and distribution costs – Zentiva had bold ambitions to become a leading generics and over-the-counter (OTC) manufacturer in Europe by 2025. How could Zentiva derive the benefits of the transformational trends that were impacting pharma players around the world? In view of the changes characterizing the European landscape, would an almost exclusive focus on Eastern Europe be the optimal international growth strategy for the company going forward?