IBSA: Caring Pharmaceutical Innovation with Swiss Precision
Interview by Eka Noniashvili
In the modern medical world, where technological progress constantly changes treatment standards, there are companies that not only keep up with the times but also shape the future. One such standout name on the global market is the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, IBSA. It is a company whose philosophy strikes a perfect balance between scientific precision and human care. Today, IBSA’s gynecology and reproductive medicine branch is officially represented in the state of Georgia.
What does Caring Innovation mean? Why has Georgia become a crucial market for this company? And how is one new medication changing the entire treatment process? To discuss these topics, we sat down with Malkhaz Kasradze, MD, PhD candidate, Public Relations Manager for the official representation of the international pharmaceutical company IBSA and Saffarma Georgia, Brand Expert, and Head of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine Development at IBSA Georgia. His work seamlessly blends clinical expertise with a marketing vision, ensuring effective and high-quality communication within the medical field.
In the medical field, the pharmaceutical company IBSA is well-known, and when we talk about it, we often mention innovation and quality. How would you describe the company’s core philosophy?
For us, IBSA means Swiss quality is not just a slogan. Founded in 1945, the company undergoes a pivotal transformation 40 years later, shifting its strategy from traditional pharmaceutical operations to an innovative, technologically advanced model.
Swiss quality is a guarantee that every stage of product development from raw materials to the final result is strictly controlled. Swiss culture, attention to detail, strict adherence to procedures, and continuous monitoring are what have allowed the company to maintain the highest standards for decades.
Most importantly, there are many methods in medicine, but not all of them are comfortable. Our goal is to offer medicine a better solution wherever treatment is physically or emotionally difficult for the patient. We call this approach Caring Innovation.
Could you give us an example of how this approach works in real practice?
One of the clearest examples is the medication Pleyris — a progesterone designed for reproductive purposes, specifically for infertility and luteal phase support therapy.
In modern life, where chronic stress, exhaustion, and a constantly accelerated rhythm have become part of our daily routine, hormonal balance is becoming increasingly fragile. Behind all this noise, almost imperceptibly, progesterone is at work — a hormone that affects not only reproductive health but also mood, sleep, and internal stability. Today, as reproductive medicine rapidly evolves, the role of progesterone becomes even clearer, especially in cases where precision and control are decisive. It is in this context that the modern approach of Pleyris emerges, aiming to make hormonal support more predictable and effective.
For years, progesterone injections were a painful process. Oil-based injectables, which could only be administered intramuscularly, caused immense discomfort and stress for patients. IBSA’s scientists managed to create a water-soluble molecule of the exact same hormone. As a result, we now have a medication that is far less painful, absorbs quickly, and most importantly, can be easily self-administered subcutaneously by the patient using an insulin syringe. This might seem like a small change at first glance, but it significantly alters the patient’s experience, especially during a process as sensitive as reproductive treatment.
I also want to highlight the change in dosage: by administering 25 mg of Pleyris, we achieve the same result as we would with 50-100 mg of oil-based progesterone. This means getting the same effect with a much lower dose, resulting in less strain on the body.
This is the signature of IBSA’s Caring Innovation. Pleyris offers a much more comfortable experience for both patients and clinicians, delivering significant benefits:
- Simple Subcutaneous (SC) Administration: The injection is highly convenient for self-administration.
- Fast and Stable Absorption: The medication ensures a uniform therapeutic level in the blood, improving clinical efficacy. The water-soluble formula guarantees a more consistent and predictable hormonal level, providing highly effective luteal support during IVF treatments, minimizing hormonal gaps, and offering stable control during the critical in vitro fertilization window.
- Reduction of Side Effects: Its use essentially eliminates local allergic reactions and infiltrations (lumps).
- Predictable Clinical Outcomes: Doctors can plan treatments and prognoses with greater accuracy. The process is highly controlled, and the outcomes are reliable.
- Clinical Reliability: Practical experience and studies demonstrate that the results achieved with Pleyris are vastly superior and more effective compared to traditional oil-based forms.
How accessible is such innovative treatment for patients?
This is one of the most crucial issues across the company’s entire pipeline. IBSA does not strive to be the cheapest on the global market, but it does guarantee high-quality, effective products at a reasonable price.
Our goal is to ensure that high-quality therapy isn’t restricted to a privileged few. That is precisely why we plan our technological developments in a way that ultimately makes the product more affordable for the patient. The balance between quality and accessibility is our golden mean, achieved through optimized technology. IBSA holds its own patents and utilizes unique manufacturing methods, allowing us to avoid unnecessary middleman costs. Our priority is that premium Swiss therapy should not be a luxury, but an accessible standard for those who need it most.
Why did Georgia become an important market for IBSA?
When entering a new market, IBSA doesn’t just look for a distributor; it looks for a value-driven partner. Our presence in Georgia is driven by the professionalism of the local team and a shared vision that aligns perfectly with our corporate ethics. For us, the criteria are the partner’s reputation, their trust-based relationship with the medical community, and their ability to deliver an innovative medication (like Pleyris) to the patient not merely as a product, but as a therapeutic solution.
Georgia boasts a strong team of professional doctors and a rapidly growing interest in modern medical treatments. Therefore, Georgia isn’t just a new market for us — it is a place where innovation can drive real, meaningful change.
Malkhaz, what does it mean to you personally to represent such a powerful and influential brand like IBSA in Georgia?
For me, IBSA’s entire ideology is a point of pride and a strong foundation. The goal of medicine isn’t solely to treat diseases; the main objective is to improve a person’s QOL (Quality of Life) index. For IBSA, quality doesn’t end when a drug rolls off the production line; it continues until the patient achieves the desired therapeutic outcome. This is an unbroken chain of responsibility that underpins our reputation.
Our goal is to ensure that Georgian patients have access to the exact same high-quality therapy as patients in the world’s leading developed countries. Furthermore, our mission in Georgia goes beyond just supplying a product; we are here to educate and support the medical community, which directly translates into better patient outcomes. When science incorporates genuine care, the result is always something greater than just treatment, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of this “chain of care.”
And finally, returning to my pride and joy, Pleyris: If progesterone is the foundation of life, then Pleyris is the most refined, Swiss-precision-built component of that foundation. Our company is honored to hold this unique niche in Georgia, because every new life brought into the world with the help of Pleyris is our greatest victory.
