The Internationalism

Internationalism No. 87, May 2026 Page 7 From the series Industry and pharmaceuticals II South San Francisco is considered the birthplace of biotechnology. Here, in 1976, the biochemist Herbert W. Boyer of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the venture capitalist Robert Swanson founded Genentech, commonly considered the first biotech company in the world. Swanson had studied at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), then moved to San Francisco and cultivated a passion for molecular biology. Genetic engineering was about to take off in Californian universities, starting with the pioneering DNA manipulation experiments carried out by Boyer in collaboration with Stanley N. Cohen, a geneticist at Stanford University. At the time, observes Nature , leading scientists proposing involvement with industry was considered heresy . Swanson and Boyer...

Internationalism No. 86, April 2026 Page 7 From the series Industry and pharmaceuticals I Since the beginning of the 21 st century, the life sciences sector has undergone profound transformations. Great scientific and technological innovations rooted in the achievements of the 20 th century have affected the whole of the world's healthcare system, revolutionising diagnostic procedures and therapies. However, the fruits of this acceleration of scientific development only reach a minority of humanity. In many cases, the high costs and the limited number of adequate structures — think of gene and cell therapies — make them inaccessible to most of the population, which barely receives even the most basic and lifesaving medicines. Their economic sustainability is a challenge even for the more advanced healthcare and welfare systems. Biotechnology is ...

Internationalism No. 77, July 2025 Page 14 From the series Industry and pharmaceuticals The 20 th century, particularly its second half, saw an extraordinary transformation in the field of pharmaceuticals. Starting with the production of penicillin, the first in a long line of antibiotics, the therapeutic capabilities of thousands of chemical compounds have been discovered, capable of changing the natural history of many diseases – that is, their normal course if left untreated. Industrial production has filled pharmacy shelves with ready-to-use remedies, or purported remedies, replacing the pharmacist’s ancient galenic formulations. Italy’s regulatory agency, Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA), lists approximately 3,000 active ingredients across various therapeutic classes, for nearly 11,000 human medicines authorised for sale. However, we should not forget that, ...