Pain has a huge and growing impact on patients, families, communities and healthcare systems around the globe.1
people suffer from chronic pain worldwide.2
of chronic pain patients in Europe are not satisfied with their treatment.3
is the estimated cost of chronic pain across Europe.3
We as pain expert
Grünenthal is the leading pharmaceutical company with a clear focus on pain therapies and research.
We have dedicated the last 50 years to delivering innovative pain medicines for patients with unmet needs.
Now, we are pursuing our vision of a World Free of Pain by developing next-generation treatments that make life better for pain patients and their families.
Our Company.
Leadership, Transformation, Strategy, Product Portfolio & Finance
Gabriel Baertschi
Chief Executive Officer
Gabriel joined Grünenthal in 2016 as Chairman of the Corporate Executive Board and CEO. As a biologist, his love of science and dedication to improving patients’ lives led him to work for the pharma industry. His strong leadership and clear vision have enabled Grünenthal to transform its business. He has executed a diligent strategy with EBITDA-accretive acquisitions, a promising R&D pipeline and strong financial performance that has tripled the company value since 2017. Gabriel is a non-executive board member at DKSH, a Swiss stock-listed company where he serves on the Compensation and Remuneration and the M&A committees. He is a non-executive board member at MedXCell, a Swiss biotech company.
Jan Adams, M.D.
Chief Commercial Officer
Jan assumed the role of Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Corporate Executive Board in October 2024. Since 2019, he had led Grünenthal's R&D organisation as Chief Scientific Officer and Member of the Corporate Executive Board. He has over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. Since joining Grünenthal in 2017, he has played a key role in driving the company's transformational journey. Under his leadership, Grünenthal successfully built a state-of-the-art R&D organisation, redefined its R&D strategy, and built an industry-leading pipeline focused on delivering innovative treatments for acute and chronic pain. Before assuming the role of CSO, he served as Head of Strategy and Portfolio, working at the interface between Strategy, R&D and Commercial. His role was instrumental in several successful M&A projects and Grünenthal’s entry into the US market.
Fabian Raschke
Chief Financial Officer
In his 15-year career, Fabian has a proven track record of success in projects ranging from completely modernising a company’s Finance function to increasing efficiency, driving growth and taking advantage of the full range of financing models. Fabian joined Grünenthal in 2016 as Head Group Controlling, before assuming the role of Chief Financial Officer in 2019. He was pivotal in Grünenthal’s move to the capital markets with the first bond placement in 2021. Fabian is also responsible for the realignment of the IT function, supporting our digital roadmap and substantially increasing our cyber defence capabilities.
Victor Barbosa
Head Global Operations
Since joining Grünenthal in 2006, Victor has worked across the organisation’s supply chain and operations teams. With extensive experience in diverse markets, he has been instrumental in redefining Grünenthal’s organisation of product supply. As Head Global Operations (GO), Victor is accountable for Grünenthal’s product quality, cost and service to patients and customers worldwide. He leads around 2,100 people in the GO unit, spanning the full value chain of product supply, and is also accountable for Grünenthal’s Contract Manufacturing Business.
Leen Hofkens
Head Global Human Resources
Leen joined Grünenthal in 2018 and has driven a high-performance culture where individuals can thrive and make an impact on Grünenthal’s success. She was instrumental in launching the organisation’s Values & Behaviours, which guide our decision-making and help shape the culture at Grünenthal. Leen also played a key role in strengthening the Performance, Development and Compensation approach. She is also passionately driving Grünenthal’s Diversity and Engagement agenda and related activities.
Sebastian Köhler
General Counsel
Sebastian joined Grünenthal in 2018, bringing with him more than 10 years of expertise in executive roles and strategic legal consultancy, to build and lead the General Counsel area, which comprises Legal, Responsibility, Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, Patents and Trademarks, and Legal Operations. In his role, Sebastian ensures that Grünenthal receives best-in-class, in-house advice to support the sustainable implementation and evolution of its strategy. Examples include our strategic mergers and acquisitions such as the joint venture with Kyowa Kirin International in 2023.
Quentin Le Masne de Chermont
Head Corporate Strategy and Portfolio Management
Before joining Grünenthal in 2019, Quentin spent 8 years consulting companies in the healthcare sector on game-changing business strategies. His career began in research. He now drives our business goals at the intersection of Strategy, Commercial, R&D and Operations. Quentin has additional responsibility for deal assessment of established brand acquisitions.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Gabriel Baertschi
Chief Executive Officer
Read more
Jan Adams, M.D.
Chief Commercial Officer
Read more
Fabian Raschke
Chief Financial Officer
Read more
Victor Barbosa
Head Global Operations
Read more
Leen Hofkens
Head Global Human Resources
Read more
Sebastian Köhler
General Counsel
Read more
Quentin Le Masne de Chermont
Head Corporate Strategy and Portfolio Management
Read more
The transformative momentum we have built over the last few years positions Grünenthal to further propel our growth strategy.
Transformation Milestones
Financial growth
More than tripled company value, entered debt capital market and received favourable credit ratings.
R&D transformation
Built promising R&D pipeline with projects in all three Phases of clinical development and innovative pre-clinical platforms.
M&A
Closed successful acquisitions outperforming benchmark M&A in the pharmaceutical market, with total expected deal value of more than €2.0 billion since 2017.
Patient supply
Continued reliable supply of medicines despite strong headwinds in recent years.
Latin America
Focused promotion on innovative products in pain for better profitability and sustainable growth.
US presence
Fully represented in the USA with our research site Boston Innovation Hub and our commercial affiliate Averitas Pharma.
Inclusive culture & responsible business
Became a workplace with winning culture, ensured highest standards for conducting business responsibly.
Our strategy towards a World Free of Pain.
We are striving to achieve our vision by pursuing two key strategic approaches.
First, we are targeting organic growth by focusing our R&D activities on pain management.
Our strategy towards a World Free of Pain.
Second, we are tapping into inorganic growth by acquiring assets that strengthen our established brand portfolio – no matter which therapeutic area. These deals significantly boost our profitability, which enables us to continue investing in pain innovation.
Our corporate strategy is built on five pillars.
Growth through our M&A journey
We have invested more than €2 billion in successful acquisitions since 2017. These deals boost our profitability and enable us to invest in pain innovation.
Financials
Our strategy puts us in an excellent position to deliver outstanding business performance.
We achieved all-time record revenue of €1.8 billion in 2023.
Profitability (adjusted EBITDA) reached €427 million last year, which is close to our record – despite big investments in our US business and innovation pipeline.
We have more than tripled our EBITDA over the past few years.
Strong Product Portfolio
Grünenthal’s product portfolio has a well-balanced and resilient mix of innovative growth brands and established medicines.
The growth brands are innovative and patent-protected products like QutenzaTM, as well as brands that continue to have valuable growth potential like VimovoTM.
The established medicines include all mature and off-patent products. They are characterised by high brand awareness, predictable and stable sales, and high profitability. Examples include NexiumTM, CrestorTM, NebidoTM and TramalTM.
Read our statement on the responsible use of opioid-based medicines here.
Cutting-edge Science
Existing pain therapies work for some patients – but not for all of them. That is why we engage in pioneering research to find next-generation, non-opioid pain medicines for patients in need.
Our R&D activities focus on four indications.
Peripheral neuropathic pain
Chronic low back pain
Osteoarthritis
Chronic post-surgical pain
Our Pipeline
Our pharmaceutical scientists have created a leading pipeline of pain-related innovations.
OUR RTX PROGRAMME
Researching a promising treatment for osteoarthritis
Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is an investigational medicine for treating pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. It leverages the discovery of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor, which won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. These receptors play a key role in the transmission of pain signals.
RTX is extracted from Euphoarbia resinifera, a succulent plant native to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The treatment is administered directly to the knee joint via intra-articular injection.
Phase III trials are now investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of RTX, with the aim of gaining approval in the EU, the US and Japan.
OUR GRM PROGRAMME
Potential anti-inflammatory with improved safety
Our proprietary Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator (GRM) is an oral investigational medicine developed to provide broad anti-inflammatory efficacy. It is also aiming to achieve a safety profile that allows longer-term treatments, which will address unmet medical needs and make an important difference to patients’ lives. Glucocorticoids, such as prednisolone, are known to be highly effective anti-inflammatory drugs. However, they come with several significant side effects, including reduced bone formation that may lead to osteoporosis, as well as increased glucose levels, which raises the risk of diabetes. These side effects are a strong limitation for the long-term use of glucocorticoids, despite their efficacy.
With our GRM programme, we are pursuing the development of clinical candidates for oral treatment with broad anti- inflammatory efficacy and the potential of significantly reduced side effects when compared to available glucocorticoid-based therapies. The most advanced compound within our GRM programme is currently in Phase I clinical development and has shown positive results in its First in Human trial.
LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT
Further developing Qutenza
Qutenza™ is a non-opioid treatment that can provide pain relief for several months. It contains prescription-strength capsaicin and is applied to the skin.
In Europe, Qutenza™ is approved for treating peripheral neuropathic pain. In the US, it is approved for treating peripheral neuropathic pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia and for treating pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) of the feet in adults.
Grünenthal aims to make Qutenza™ more widely available by expanding the label – particularly in the US. Phase III trials are investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Qutenza™ in post-surgical neuropathic pain (PSNP), for example. We are also collaborating with partners to explore further potential indications.
OUR NOP PROGRAMME
Pioneering research for chronic pain
Our scientists have conducted pioneering research into Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ receptor (NOP) agonists. These molecules are predicted to deliver robust pain relief without the side effects commonly associated with opioids.
Results from early clinical studies are now informing the development of our NOP franchise. We aim to bring our leading candidate into the clinic during 2024.
Boston Innovation Hub –
A centre of excellence for pain research
Our Innovation Hub in Boston is a centre of excellence for pain research, and an open invitation to scientists who are dedicated to addressing pain to team up with us as we work towards our vision of a world free of pain.
Greater Boston is recognised as the biggest biotech hub in the world, a centre for creating the next generation of pain medicines.
- > 1,000 biotech companies, as well as venture capital firms, small and big pharma.
- Leading academic and philanthropic institutes like the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MiT) or the Broad Institute.
Science forward
Always exploring the latest science
R&D teams at Grünenthal are at the forefront of scientific progress within the pharmaceutical industry.
Our experts investigate ways for new technologies to open up transformative treatment options for patients. From leveraging single-cell methodologies through to unleashing the power of AI to accelerate our research activities, we are always embracing the possibilities of future-facing science.
Market Presence
Reliable supply to patients
Our teams deliver a safe and reliable supply of pain treatments to patients in over 100 countries. We ensure the highest levels of safety, quality and cost-efficiency at every stage in our value chain.
Grünenthal operates five production facilities – in Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and provides a global production network with full service supply to 100 countries worldwide.
Aachen, Germany
Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management with its headquarters in Aachen, Germany. Our purpose is to change lives for the better – and innovation is our passion.
The scientists in Grünenthal’s state-of-the-art laboratories in Aachen are passionate about exploring innovative treatment options that have the potential to meaningfully improve the lives of patients around the world. Every day, Grünenthal’s scientists use their deep expertise to reimagine the future of pain management.
The Aachen site is our global centre of excellence for pharma packaging and the main supplier of products to our affiliates, Contract Manufacturing Business, and partner businesses in over 80 countries.
Mitlödi, Switzerland
Our Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) site serves almost 20 countries and achieved record production volumes in 2023. It produces one-third of all tramadol worldwide – with 30 years of experience.
Origgio, Italy
This site offers a broad range of bulk production, with around 2.5 billion tablets and 20 million packs per year. It also supplies external customers, particularly with biopharma services and nasal spray technologies.
Quito, Ecuador
Our regional manufacturing and distribution centre for liquids and semi-solids is one of Latin America's biggest and most modern pharmaceutical production sites – and is certified to supply European markets, too.
Santiago, Chile
This site is home to our centre of excellence for hormone production, which supplies products for patients across Latin America. The state-of-the-art technology at our second facility for conventional product manufacturing and packaging positions us among pioneers in Chile and the region.
Product Portfolio and Reliable Supply
Our Contract Manufacturing Organisation (CMO) is called Grünenthal PRO. It has a long history of supplying high-quality products and services to pharma companies around the globe.
Third-party manufacturing accounted for 48 percent of our production volume in 2023. At all times, we aim for 100 percent customer satisfaction.
Environmental, Social & Governance
We are committed to conducting our business legally, ethically, respectfully and sustainably. Grünenthal’s latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating confirms our strong focus on corporate responsibility and risk management. Our “low ESG risk” score puts us in the top two percent of the pharmaceuticals subindustry – and ahead of our key peers.
Read more about our Ratings:
Link to webstory Sustainalytics; Link to webstory ecovadis
Our focus areas are Patients, People and the Planet.
Our teams constantly seek positive outcomes for patients and their families. We also aim to maximise our beneficial effect on employees, partners and society – while reducing the environmental footprint of our business.
We are committed to serving the needs of pain patients where it matters most.
Grünenthal is committed to working with patients and for patients. Engagement with patients and their representatives is embedded into every stage in the lifecycle of our medicines. Read more here.
Raising awareness for pain as a disease and enabling access to pain medication are core focus areas for us.
We aim to foster a culture of trust among our employees, partners and communities.
We work together to achieve this by driving engagement and empowerment, and by increasing diversity and inclusion.
Our teams think and act with patients in mind. We acknowledge that our people make the difference. And we join forces to create value.
We provide a working environment where people can thrive in rich and varied roles, while also offering growth opportunities and extensive benefits.
Using resources responsibly is a key part of being a sustainable business.
We are driving improvements throughout our operations, while reducing waste and switching to renewable sources of energy.
We have underlined our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint by signing up to the Science-Based Targets initiative. This commits our company to significantly reducing CO2 emissions.
Colleagues across the organisation gave more than 3,000 hours of their time to community volunteering in 2023 during our Grünenthal Gives initiative.
Grünenthal is a unique place to work – a mid-sized, science-driven company that is on a journey.
Every employee plays a big role in helping to achieve our shared goals. We believe it takes a team to truly change lives for the better.
Our employees have a real impact on patients and on the results we achieve – in our labs, in our manufacturing sites, in our offices and when interacting with healthcare professionals.
24 Grünenthal entities are certified as a Great Place to Work© – which covers almost all of our affiliates worldwide.
Meet our people and their passion for our vision.
"Our commitment to making pain more manageable is more than just a slogan; it's personal."
Magdalena Poznanski
Transaction Manager & Due Diligence Lead
"I see chronic pain as a barrier to unlocking human potential."
Omar Mossad
Disease Biology Scientist
"The work we do can significantly affect an individual, and that's what makes it exceptionally meaningful to me."
Laura Wasser
Sourcing Manager DACH
"There are existing pain medicines, and many more patients could benefit from them."
Tommy Agyenim
Medical Science & Liaison Manager
"Given the complexity of our healthcare systems, making pain treatment more accessible to patients is a very fulfilling task."
Loi Vo
National Market Access Manager
As a privately-owned and science-driven pharmaceutical company, we have 4,400 employees working in labs, offices, factories and customer-facing field roles in 27 countries. Guided by our Values & Behaviours, every individual is encouraged to innovate in every possible way.
1 Mills SE. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2019;123 (2): e273ee283
2 Treede RD, et al. Pain. 2015 Jun;156(6):1003-1007
3 Pain Alliance Europe, Survey on Chronic Pain 2017, Diagnosis, Treatment and Impact of Pain. Available at: https://www.pae-eu.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/PAE-Survey-on-Chronic-Pain-June-2017.pdf. [Accessed April 2024]
4 Including Anti-Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides (CGRPs). Defined Pain Market incl.: Strong opioids, weak opioids (Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Hydrocodone, Meptamizol, Nalbuphine, Tilidine, Tramadol), NSAIDs & plain Cox2 Inhibitors, oral solid Rx, Antimigraine Triptans, Lidocaine & Capsaicine Patches, Anti-epileptics & Anti-depressants with their respective share in Localized Neuropathic Pain acc. Rx information (Pregabalin, Gabapentin, Carbamazepin, Amitriptylin & Duloxetin). Accumulated evaluation of countries where Grünenthal is present through its own sales force:
5 Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru
6 Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.
Imprint.
Contact
Florian Dieckmann
Head Global Corporate Affairs & Communication
E-mail: GlobalCommunication@grunenthal.com
Photo Credits
Grünenthal, Image Professionals GmbH, Adobe Stock, Getty Images, Freepik.com
Disclaimer
Privacy
Publisher
GRÜNENTHAL PHARMA GMBH & CO. KG
Zieglerstrasse 6
52078 Aachen
Germany
Phone: +49 241 569 0
E-mail: info@grunenthal.com
www.grunenthal.com
Built with Shorthand