TARİHÇE

Fako Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was established in 1959 in Sirkeci, Istanbul and started production. In 1966, the production facility of Fako Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Sirkeci was moved to its first location in Levent. In 1967, production and sales license agreements were signed with American Home Products/Ayerst Laboratories and with Daiichi Seiyaku, Japan, separately and Fako Pharmaceuticals joined the Ansa and Fürsan investments. In 1970, the foundations of Fako Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s new facilities in Levent were laid. In 1971, the new facilities of Fako Pharmaceuticals were opened. In 1973, the Levent raw material facilities of Fako Pharmaceuticals were opened and the first ampicillin production was realized in Türkiye. Biosen Inc. was established and a license agreement was signed with Chemie Linz/Hafslund Nycomed. In 1974, the license agreement was signed with Mallinckrodt. In 1975, Abbott Laboratories Inc. was included in the group. In 1976, E.R. Squibb&Sons Pharmaceuticals, Inc. joined the group.

Kozmosan, the group's cosmetics company, was established in 1977, and a production and sales license agreement was signed with Max Factor. Also that year, cooperation agreement negotiations were held with Arco, Switzerland. In 1978, a production and sales license agreement with Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and a production and sales license agreement with Recordati, Italy were signed. In 1981, the foundation of Fako Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s new raw material production facilities in Ayazağa was laid, and a production and sales license agreement was signed with SmithKlineFrench&Beckman Corp.. The new Raw Materials Facilities were opened in Ayazağa and started production in 1982. Investment negotiations were held with Eli Lilly/Elanco company for gelatin capsule manufacturing the same year.

A production and sales license agreement was entered into with Beecham Laboratories, UK in 1986. A trade agreement was signed with Alco Chemicals in 1988, and a production and sales license agreement with American Cyanamid/Lederle Laboratories in 1990. Turgut Publishing, the group's medical publishing company, was established in 1991 and the monthly publications of JAMA, Archives of Internal Medicine, Modern Medicine and Daily Druggist were published in Turkish, and medical books were published. That year, process, aseptic facility and equipment validations were carried out for the first time in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Türkiye. In 1992, a sales license agreement was made with Glaxo/Duncan Flockhart and a contract manufacturing agreement was signed with Wyeth Laboratories Inc. In 1993, E.R. Squibb&Sons Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s commercial activities were transferred to Bristol Myers Squibb A.Ş. and the former company continued its activities as Turgut Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. In 1994, a license agreement was signed with Biosidus, Argentina for biotechnological products. The finished drug manufacturing facility approval was obtained from MHRA/MCA, UK in 1995. In 1996, Fako Pharmaceuticals Raw Material Facilities received the ISO Environment Award of the Turkish Ministry of Industry and the technology transfer process from Biosidus began.A production and sales license agreement was entered into with Beecham Laboratories, UK in 1986. A trade agreement was signed with Alco Chemicals in 1988, and a production and sales license agreement with American Cyanamid/Lederle Laboratories in 1990. Turgut Publishing, the group's medical publishing company, was established in 1991 and the monthly publications of JAMA, Archives of Internal Medicine, Modern Medicine and Daily Druggist were published in Turkish, and medical books were published. That year, process, aseptic facility and equipment validations were carried out for the first time in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Türkiye. In 1992, a sales license agreement was made with Glaxo/Duncan Flockhart and a contract manufacturing agreement was signed with Wyeth Laboratories Inc. In 1993, E.R. Squibb&Sons Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s commercial activities were transferred to Bristol Myers Squibb A.Ş. and the former company continued its activities as Turgut Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. In 1994, a license agreement was signed with Biosidus, Argentina for biotechnological products. The finished drug manufacturing facility approval was obtained from MHRA/MCA, UK in 1995. In 1996, Fako Pharmaceuticals Raw Material Facilities received the ISO Environment Award of the Turkish Ministry of Industry and the technology transfer process from Biosidus began.

In 1997, Fako Pharmaceuticals Raw Material Facilities received the Quality Systems Certificate, TSE ISO-9002, and a trade agreement was signed with Valpharma. In 1999, a license agreement was signed with Alza Corporation and a contract manufacturing and co-promotion agreement with Eli Lilly Türkiye. In 2000, the SAP R/3 IT information system was used for the first time in a Turkish pharmaceutical company, and a license agreement was signed with Kanebo, Japan for cosmetic products. Fako Pharmaceuticals established biotechnological research and development laboratories in the Middle East Technical University and for the first time in Türkiye, EPO production was successful and its approval was obtained from the Netherlands-based company EuroSequence. Communications were made with Pierre and Marie Curie University, the University of Wisconsin, the Argentine Public School of Medicine and the Angel Roffo Oncology Institute. In 2001, API Raw Material facilities received the approval of the American Food and Drug Administration as the first Turkish company in a holistic sense and exports to the USA began.

In 2002, Fako Pharmaceuticals received patents for the antibiotic product in Europe and for the anti-inflammatory product in the United States. Sildenafil process patent was obtained in Türkiye. License agreements for Ellen Betrix, Louis Widmer, Plante Systems, Costume National and Microfolix cosmetics were signed. ISO-9000 BV Approval was obtained for group companies. The Fako-Shasun-Alpharma-Cox joint venture is realized and Ranitidine is exported to the UK.

Fako/Actavis partnership took place between 2004-2006. In 2006, CNS products were produced in cooperation with Turgut Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Neurosciences. Chattem and Goemar license agreements were made. In 2007, Turgut Pharmaceuticals, Inc. R&D center was established. In 2008, the R&D center was approved by the Ministry and became the first institution to be accredited in this field. Turgut Holding construction and facility management department was established and started to operate. The architecture firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Cesar Pelli, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Richard Rogers were interviewed for the project. Boris Mitcka Associates was contacted for the museum planned to be built in it.

The foundation of the Group's Construction Project was laid in 2014. The foundation of the group's biotechnological drug production facility in Gebze was planned the same year. In 2015, technology agreements were made with the world's leading biotechnology companies. In 2016, the Turgut Pharmaceuticals R&D center, equipped with the latest technologies, was opened and started working at Acıbadem University, 2 biosimilar molecules were successfully completed and meanwhile, the R&D Center Certificate was officially awarded by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology. Turgut İlaç Levent Office Project received the 2016 “Sign of the City” award. Turgut Pharmaceuticals Office Project received the 2017-2018 European Property Awards. In 2018, the process of moving Turgut Pharmaceuticals R&D Center located at Acıbadem University to Gebze, and the activities for the production facility to be operational, were initiated.

In 2020, the phase 1 clinical study of Turgut Pharmaceuticals's first biosimilar mAb molecule from cell to the finished product was successfully completed by Parexel in Berlin, Germany and resulted in the high biosimilarity range. In TurkishTime R&D 250 List, Turgut Pharmaceuticals ranked 30th among the companies making the highest R&D investment in Türkiye, and 2nd among pharmaceutical companies. In 2021, Turgut Gebze Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility received the GMP Facility Approval, GMP Biosimilar mAb Production Approval, GMP Vaccine Production Approval and TSE COVID-19 Safe Production Center Certificate from the Turkish Ministry of Health. In TurkishTime R&D 250 List, Turgut Pharmaceuticals ranked 69th among the companies making the highest R&D investment in Türkiye and 5th among pharmaceutical companies. In 2022, Turgut Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was awarded the EURIPIDES European Innovation Award. In 2023, the filling & finishing facility received the GMP approval from the Turkish Ministry of Health.