Synthon has a long-established reputation in the field of generic medicines with added value. This success has been a stimulus for us to enter a new field with the development of our own biopharmaceuticals. Medicines based on biopharmacy are therapeutic proteins produced from living cell cultures. A major advantage of these compared with traditional pharmaceuticals is that causes of disease such as bacteria or toxins can be neutralised without damaging the surrounding cells. This provides opportunities for more effective treatment of cancer, infections and auto-immune diseases in particular. At the moment, Synthon is in the initial phase of biotechnological research and laboratories especially equipped for this have now been opened. We are working hard on expanding our specialised team of cell biologists, molecular biologists and technicians. The first steps have been taken and the future looks promising.