Amarin, the first company to develop transdermal patches in South America, has earned a place among the major companies in the sector worldwide.

In this aspect Lucero highlights “Amarin is proudly part of this group and being, I believe, the smallest player, the one with the smallest number of people (36). There are companies dedicated to this that have a development and research team of much more than 36 people, (…) That is why we are very proud of our achievements”.

One of the keys that have allowed Amarin to belong to this group is professionalism. In this regard, Lucero points out that his team “holds discussions with first-world companies on an equal footing”.  At the same time, he confesses: “The only thing I might envy these companies is the economic resources they have”.

“It is important that the companies we have contact with know that in Argentina exists Amarin, a reliable company that offers an excellent service in topicals and transdermals with a very good professional team“.

  Sergio Lucero 

Another key is flexibility and adaptability to the client. Amarin is characterized by “being respectful and complying with all international regulations on the technical side, but complementing it with a flexible attitude in dealing with customers”. Because “large companies have their corporate schemes and it is difficult for them to adjust to the needs of each client”.

He confesses that being in Buenos Aires, Latin America could be a competitive disadvantage with respect to companies located in Europe or the USA. In this context, he says: “many companies may prefer other companies that are larger or offer a better-known name, because they may think that they are more regulated or better”. However, he says that by focusing on their own advantages and working with international standards, they have been able to overcome this prejudice.

The importance of the human factor in transdermal development

For Amarin, it is not just a matter of achieving the desired product, but of making the process transparent and constructive. This is possible thanks to the team and the values they embody.

• Professionalism

When referring to professionalism, he talks about skilled people “but who should not be closed and inflexible”.

In addition to academic training, working with passion is valuable at Amarin. Lucero recalls that he once told his work team: “I have one wish for you: that you have passion in what you do”. Because he explains, “passion means an intense emotion that reflects the enthusiasm and the desire to do something. I have no doubt that those who are passionate about what they do have a plus. Just like a professional soccer player, who gets paid, but if he plays with passion, if there is a team that is passionate and there is cohesion, that team will stand out”. The same happens at Amarin.

• Flexibility

Flexibility is Amarin’s differential as a partner for the development of transdermal projects. In this aspect, Lucero explains, “What I always say is that we have to have a scheme for each client. Because each client is different”. Large companies work with pre-established schemes and models. Amarin offers a plus by telling the client, “I offer you the same service, but tell me what you need, because we can talk about it”.  It is simply adapting to the client’s needs.

Values are the basis of business success

The secret of Amarin’s commercial success is also based on the values that run through the entire process, even from the moment an inquiry is received.

• Commitment

Lucero emphasizes that beyond closing a deal, they seek to create a bond with the companies, which is why commitment is so important. In this regard, he states: “We never take on development or task without knowing that we can commit to fulfilling it. The client must always be able to count on us. We have an internal policy that obliges us to answer any query in less than 48 hours, and if we don’t have the answer, we reply saying that and we commit a specific time to provide it. The reason is very simple: If someone asks us something it is because he needs that answer and answering immediately is part of our respect for our client”.

• Transparency

As mentioned, Amarin seeks to establish long-term human and commercial relationships. To this end, Lucero confesses that “transparency is essential in our convictions, in our actions, in our capabilities and in all aspects of our professional life. Nothing can be built based on the convenience of a single party or on deceit”.

In this regard, he remarks: “If there is something the client needs and we cannot do it, we give him the advice so that he knows who can do what we cannot do. Because we would be very wrong to commit ourselves to something we can’t do”.

Amarin looking to the future

When asked about short, medium and long-term objectives, Lucero does not hesitate to clarify that deadlines in the pharmaceutical industry are long. As an example, he cites the case of the development of the Fentanyl patch: “We started working on it in 1999, when we were part of Beta, and the first export was in 2007. These are the deadlines of the pharmaceutical industry”.

“The short-term objective is to supply the needs of our customers throughout Latin America with our plant”. He clarifies “that it is not simple because it means hiring more people, investing and overcoming growth problems. Because when you are focused, when you put your heart and passion into it, you can achieve your goals”. At the same time, he explains that when referring to the short term, he is talking about 2022 to 2025.

On the other hand, “we have to face the medium-term today (…) we have 4 or 5 projects, it is all investment, it is all research, it is all work and we will have the results in 6 or 7 years”.

Finally, “in the long-term, I have a great objective, which does not depend 100% on me. Just as I have a strategic commercial partnership with Helm AG, I have the illusion of establishing a strategic partnership of Development and Production with a company that is in patches, that already exists in the United States or Europe. That we can make a synergy between the development capacity that exists, because we can take more personnel, because there are plenty of capable and intelligent people in Argentina. A company that has a greater production capacity than us, because with our plant we can supply Latin America and even a small product in a large market. For example, we can be the product developers and our partners can implement the manufacturing and we both win”.

In summary,

As Amarin’s Director & CEO, Sergio Lucero, points out, to achieve a lasting relationship with a commercial partner in the development of transdermal products, flexibility, professionalism, transparency and commitment are key. Values that, as in the case of Amarin, are imprinted in the daily work of the team that works on your project.

We would like to become your business partner for the development of your transdermal product. Contact our team and let’s start talking.