Thought Leaders — National Projection: Atabay
In the latest issue of Thought Leaders Magazine, Atabay Board Chairperson Zeynep Atabay Taşkent, Vice Chairperson of the Board Ayşe Atabay, and Strategy & R&D Director Doğan Taşkent joined us as guests, providing comprehensive answers — from a national perspective — to our questions on their vision, the importance of strengthening Turkey’s pharmaceutical sector, their strategies, achievements, collaborative partnerships, and approach to R&D.
Turkey’s Self-Sufficiency in Pharmaceuticals Is Now an Imperative!
F. L.: What are your thoughts on the necessity of strengthening Turkey’s pharmaceutical sector?
ZEYNEP ATABAY TAŞKENT: Strengthening Turkey’s pharmaceutical sector is a matter of collective concern. Developing medicines that can reach every household in need and making Turkey self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals is Atabay’s most fundamental reason for existence. It is essential to thoroughly analyze Turkey’s domestic pharmaceutical production and its position in the global pharmaceutical sector, and to view these through a holistic lens.
As a third-generation family company that has grown up with the values of the Republic, we regard pharmaceutical production as a social responsibility. Dependence on foreign sources for active pharmaceutical ingredient production in Turkey has reached as high as 95%. In such an environment, expanding our domestic production capacity and making it sustainable is our most fundamental duty. The experience and accumulated knowledge we have gained over our 86-year heritage guide us as we shape the future. We believe this to be the most important legacy we carry forward from our past.
What is your 2026 vision?
The importance of domestic production became even more apparent during global health crises such as the pandemic in particular. As a country, increasing our rate of self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical production will not only reduce external dependence, but will also strengthen health security. As Atabay, with our manufacturing facilities compliant with European Union GMP standards, our commitment to sustainable quality, and our scientific approach, we are positioned as a trusted partner in global healthcare services. We are the sole manufacturer in Europe and the surrounding region for strategic active ingredients such as paracetamol, oseltamivir, and acetylcysteine. We are one of Turkey’s pioneering organizations in API production. We are Turkey’s 6th largest pharmaceutical manufacturer by unit volume. We have been successfully producing reliable treatments that contribute to Turkey’s healthcare system for many years.
We have defined our 2026 vision as “Growth Through Focus.” In line with this, we have restructured our existing product portfolios. Our analgesic and antipyretic products have been positioned within one dedicated team, while our anti-infective products have been placed within another. Our anticoagulant portfolio, our two newly launched DOAC medicines, and our venous insufficiency product — Turkey’s first THMP to be included in the reimbursement scheme — have been consolidated under a further team with a “Blood & Vascular” focus. Alongside certain internal medicine products for which R&D processes have been completed and which are currently in the marketing authorization phase, our preparations to establish new teams in 2026 — centered around a comprehensive and broad diabetes product range — are advancing rapidly. We remain focused on increasing our number of marketing authorizations and our sales volume, and continue to add value to the national economy and global health through our mission of delivering healthcare from the past into the future.
What can you tell us about Atabay’s backward integration strategy?
AYŞE ATABAY: As numerous countries around the world are redefining their goals of “national self-sufficiency” in pharmaceutical production, Atabay’s backward integration strategy — pursued over many years — stands today as a model for Turkey. Domestic production is the strongest shield for public health. We witnessed this collectively during the pandemic. As Atabay, we channel our profits into manufacturing, R&D, and technology investments, and work without interruption to build an independent pharmaceutical production infrastructure.
Today, we export to 67 countries across five continents — the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East. With our broad product portfolio, we directly contribute to the quality of life of millions of patients. Our future vision is to expand our portfolio in the areas of food supplements, traditional medicinal products, and chronic care medicines; to achieve full market coverage across the European continent; to initiate direct exports to the United States; and to further strengthen our position as the leading Turkish pharmaceutical company in Africa.
R&D and university-industry collaborations are the foundation of the next-generation pharmaceutical ecosystem. What would you like to say on this subject?
DOĞAN TAŞKENT: Another element as critical as localization and production capacity is scientific collaboration and the R&D infrastructure. The development process for innovative medicines worldwide is no longer the product of a single institution, but of multi-stakeholder research models. Atabay has embraced this approach and conducts end-to-end R&D activities in the fields of small molecules, biotechnology, vaccines, and traditional herbal medicinal products. Through our R&D expenditures in 2024, we ranked 91st in the overall standings of Turkish Time magazine’s “Top 500 Companies by R&D Expenditure in 2024” list, and placed among the top 10 pharmaceutical companies. Through our domestic raw material production, our robust R&D ecosystem, and our university-industry collaborations, we continue to make long-term contributions to both our country’s economy and Turkey’s health security. The success of our R&D investments is grounded in a culture of multi-stakeholder collaboration.
We develop the medicines of the future through collective intelligence. We are developing joint projects with TÜBİTAK MAM, the İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), the start-up ecosystem, and Turkey’s top 10 leading universities. Atabay Biotechnology stands out as one of only five vaccine manufacturing facilities in Turkey to receive GMP approval from the Ministry of Health, and one of only three facilities licensed for microbial biosimilar production. Working in collaboration with universities, physicians, start-ups, and public institutions, we develop new molecules while contributing high-quality knowledge to Turkey’s biotechnology ecosystem.