Phytocast 07: Technological Innovation

2021: a new era begins where great challenges for technology, business and the environment intertwine, and individual wellbeing is at the center of a holistic vision of knowledge and research. One century has gone by since Indena’s first steps. The company’s unwavering trust in the potential of plant matrixes, and its investments in quality and research, create the conditions for new commercial and industrial developments, which already consider treatments’ future customization. Today, Indena is at the forefront among companies that conduct research on natural products, always pairing quality and personalized nutrition to support prevention, or help control the onset of various conditions such as cardiovascular diseases.

2010–2020: a decade of customization for both consumption and services, in which catalogues become virtual and endless, and smartphones allow us to explore the whole world.Indena has learned how to innovate in its natural habitat, botany, by processing powerful and complex molecules: a core expertise at the base of its flexible technological platform for the management of CDMO services. Today, Indena’s CDMO capabilities allow clients to submit the most complex requests in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields, relying on the company to develop custom molecules and extracts, both natural and synthetic.

2000 – 2010: the new millennium is heralded by intense and complex events, including climate change and mega-cities growing to the point resource scarcity cannot be ignored. Science feels a strong attraction to Nature, channeled by biomimicry. But that’s nothing new for Indena: the company has always observed Nature as a laboratory in constant evolution, with a pivotal role in the ecosystem. In this scenario, Indena’s Phytosome is a real innovation for phytotherapy: a system to improve the bioavailability of extracts, without altering their structure and without resorting to chemical derivatives.

The 1990s: the USSR collapses, an air of liberal democracy stimulates trade, scientific and cultural exchanges, and we see the rise of the Internet... it’s the dawn of the globalization era. Indena already operates in dozens of markets, but consolidates its profile by acquiring extraction plants abroad. Its botanical research network extends, increasing academic collaborations. The company invests funds and energy in the development of innovative solutions, including one to make taxanes. An intuition will lead Indena to establish its presence in the cytotoxic drug market.

The 1980s: the Berlin Wall comes down, and a dream of freedom permeates countries and minds... Young people walk around listening to their Walkman, going from happy hour to disco, and start to pay more attention than ever to their health. Food is increasingly seen as an active element in any cure. “Nutraceutical” becomes a neologism, merging “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”. The demand for natural health products rises. And Indena is able to capture the spirit of the decade, adding new value to phytocomplexes and laying the foundations for the new nutraceutical market.

The 1970s: the recent Moon landing brings transgression in society and gives new impetus to creativity, especially in high technology; the foundations are laid for a technological revolution that will also become a cultural one...Inverni Della Beffa picks up on these signals: the company is the first in its field to install cutting-edge equipment in its laboratories, never used before in phytotherapy.In 1977, Indena is born: a new company where investments in technological innovation converge, while the production of plant-based finished drugs stays under the brand name of the parent company, Inverni della Beffa.

The 1960s: Italy is on the move. The new decade brings about a nationwide “economic miracle”, the Fiat Cinquecento… and traveling, Italians’ new passion. Some, like Inverni Della Beffa’s botanists, travel because they feel it’s time to broaden their horizons, explore the world and garner knowledge, finding new opportunities for the company’s development. While Luigi Della Beffa, successor to the founders, jumps from one airplane to the other, the company’s production and research facilities move to a new and modern plant in Settala, a country town near Milan.

The 1950s: after nearly a decade of war and isolation, entrepreneurs were eager to explore the world and seize new international opportunities.Inverni Della Beffa went through sea changes as well. It was able to stock up on Gloriosa in India, while the scientists on Via Ripamonti isolated active ingredients and began to manufacture finished medicines.And there’s more: using natural resources in a sustainable and ethical way became a key requirement for the entire company.

The 1940s: with devastating bombings terror and fear descend on Europe, and especially on major cities. To safeguard both production and employees, Inverni Della Beffa is forced to leave Milan. The new temporary location is in the town of Alzano, near Bergamo. One of the founders, Biagio Alberto Della Beffa, is drafted to serve as army officer at the front. Yet, the company is able to carry on…

The 1930s: a decade of great firsts. Like Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.The world of research was ready to explore new frontiers too. In Milan, Inverni Della Beffa invested in scientific dissemination to explain botanical derivatives’ therapeutic properties.The company began publishing a series of monographs on medicinal plants, which would later become a crucial tool to complement its catalog of titrated botanical extracts.