Family formula combines with integrity for drug firm's success

MANILA, Philippines - A shared vision for enhancing the delivery of primary health care services through high-quality medicines and pharmaceutical products at an affordable cost, is what spurs the Villanueva family to continue the legacy of Am-Europharma Corp., established in 1979 as a modest backyard business.

Today, what Dr. Rodrigo and Alice Villanueva started has flourished into one of the leading and biggest local manufacturers of ethical drugs and pharmaceutical products, both branded and generic, in the Philippines. The company’s new pharmaceutical plant located in Brgy. Saimsim, Calamba, Laguna, houses state-of-the-art manufacturing, research and development, and quality control facilities to produce a whole range of products reaching more than 100 SKUs, among them multivitamins, antacids, antibiotics, cough remedies, anti-asthma, anti-diarrhea, anti-gout, and anti-TB, among others. 

“Our family’s life revolves around the company,” said Ritchie Villanueva, eldest of three children of the Villanueva couple and now serving as marketing manager of Am-Europharma Corp.

Ritchie and his two siblings have taken over the reins of responsibility for the company, but his parents are still around to offer guidance for the day-to-day operations and strategic decisions. Since the company diversified operations in 2006, Am-Europharma has established new business units to focus on its strategic competencies. Two new companies were formed: SureChoice Pharma Philippines Inc., which is a marketing and promotions company geared towards promoting Am-Europharma products, and EuroCare Pharma Inc., which is geared towards wholesale distribution, sales and distribution of Am-Europharma products. Am-Europharma Corp., the mother company is now focused solely on manufacturing.

The Villanueva family, for a fact, owns more linkages with the pharma industry, specifically through their grandfather, Francisco Villanueva, who founded the popular Commander Drug in the ’70s. Francisco started in the drug industry by peddling medicines on a kariton or cart along Divisoria, along with his contemporary who would later on establish the country’s biggest drugstore chain. Commander Drug at its peak grew to about 30 branches.

Francisco’s son Rodrigo, a Navy Doctor who was then newly married with Alice, a nurse, saw the opportunity to manufacture medicines which can be supplied to Commander Drug. The couple established Am-Europharma in 1979, as a small backyard business in their old house. Ritchie recalled growing up within a household where one of the rooms served as a mini laboratory where drugs were mixed, while their garage housed the packaging and finished goods warehouse.

“We have invested in machinery and quality testing equipment to ensure we only come up with the best quality pharmaceutical products. This is a cutthroat industry and it’s getting more competitive, so if we don’t upgrade, we will be left behind,” Ritchie said.

The company’s Research and Development Department develops newer and better products yearly to expand the company’s product portfolio to satisfy the healthcare needs of many Filipinos. This follows company’s commitment to protect the Filipinos’ right to healthcare – “wellness over illness, fitness over sickness, and health over disease.”