“An important role in our business with the pharmaceutical industry”

Mr. Suesse, when people think of tesa, they think of the well-known transparent adhesive tape for office and home use. How did tesa come to be developing and manufacturing products for the pharmaceutical industry?

Joachim Suesse: tesafilm® is indeed one of the best-known brand-name items in Germany. But if you ask people in other parts of the world what products they know from tesa, you often hear completely different answers: Nowadays, the tesa brand umbrella covers about 6500 products and system solutions. tesa generates nearly 80 percent of its net sales with products for use in industrial sectors such as the automotive, printing, and electronics industries. Some time ago, tesa also expanded its portfolio to include special adhesive applications for the growing healthcare sector. The name of our strategy is investment in markets of the future.

At the end of last year, tesa bought Labtec, a mid-sized company. What do you hope that purchase will bring you?

Joachim Suesse: tesa has more than 100 years of expertise in coating technology and the development of adhesive masses. In addition to its research and development work for numerous pharmaceutical industry companies, the new wholly owned tesa affiliate specializes in two market segments: transdermal therapeutic systems (TTS) and orally dissolving films (ODFs), production of which requires the know-how that tesa has. In that regard, the competencies of tesa and Labtec complement each other optimally, especially in the area of development of innovative coated therapy systems, which combine polymer chemistry and medical expertise.

What is it that makes the pharmaceutical patches and oral films so innovative? Why do you feel these are markets of the future?

Joachim Suesse: If you look at demographic trends, there are two factors that are immediately noticeable: Populations are aging, and – in a closely associated trend – the incidence of diseases involving pain and diseases of the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, is rising by a tremendous degree. Transdermal therapeutic systems to treat these diseases are easy to use, do not put any added strain on the gastrointestinal tract, and prevent phases during which more or less than the effective dose is being delivered. Oral films are especially suitable for people who have difficulty swallowing pills, such as children and the elderly. With regard to the exactitude of dosing, ODFs are equivalent to a fixed oral dosage form, but they are as easy to take as a solution or a syrup.

How long will it be before the first prescription-only oral film comes out on the market?

Joachim Suesse: We are confident that the Ondansetron Rapidfilm® we have developed will come out on the market very soon. It will be the world’s first oral film that is not available over-the-counter, but requires a prescription instead. Ondansetron Rapidfilm®, which can be used to treat nausea and vomiting in patients receiving radiation therapy or chemotherapy, has been licensed to several drug companies in Europe and Asia. We expect the first official approvals to be given by the end of 2009.

You mentioned that the product has been licensed to drug companies. Does that mean that there will not be a drug with the tesa brand name at pharmacies?

Joachim Suesse: Correct, you won’t be able to buy a package of pharmaceutical “tesa films” at pharmacies. We want to focus on the business-to-business segment and take on an important international role in the business with the pharmaceutical industry in the future.

Thank you for the interview.