Quality and affordable healthcare for Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines – It usually worked this way: Filipino executives hone their craft in local companies and then offers from the pirates come. These pirates are usually the giant multinational firms. However, for Amado Tadena, it was the other way around. Well, sort of.

Tadena is chairman and chief executive officer of Xeno Pharmaceuticals Philippines, Inc., a Filipino pharmaceutical firm, which is fully employee owned. Xeno is a company that sells healthcare products manufactured from facilities bearing approval from international health authorities such as the United States Food and Drugs Administration and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

A self-made man in the pharmaceutical industry, Tadena used to be executive chairman of a United Kingdom-based multinational firm.

After his retirement in 2007, Tadena led the formation of Xeno. He wanted to “give back” to the Filipino community.

“We in Xeno feel that we can serve the Philippines better,” Tadena told The Star in a recent interview. He said that when you are working for a local company, you are not dictated upon by the head office, unlike in multinational firms.

“Sometimes what is globally relevant may not be relevant in the Philippines. That’s the big difference,” he said.

Tadena said that Xeno is the first and only Filipino pharmaceutical company that is fully employee-owned.

In fact, Xeno stands exactly for that – (E)x Employees Now Owners. Tadena formed the company with the former employees of the multinational firm he worked for. The employees were affected by the company’s downsizing programs.

In Xeno, the employees are all share holders and that there are no external investors. Hired employees have a chance to own shares, Tadena added.

Since its launch in July, Xeno is now number six among Filipino companies selling ethical drugs or prescription drugs.

In three to five years, Xeno hopes to launch more products and cover as many areas as possible. Its products are priced 60 percent lower than the original brand and 30 percent lower than the leading brand. Tadena said the branded generic drugs offered by Xeno serve as alternative to costly medicines.

He said that generic drugs have the same dosage, use, effects, side effects, administration and strength as the original branded drug. They are sold cheaper because manufacturers have not had the expenses spend by brand-name companies in the research, development and marketing of a new drug.

However, Tadena admits that many consumers still hesitate to purchase generic alternatives.

As a solution to this problem, he said there are the so-called bioequivalence tests, which assure that generic products have the same premium quality as the original brand. Tadena said that Xeno products are tested for bioequivalence.

“Xeno products are tested for bioequivalence in world-class scientific laboratories,” he said, assuring that with Xeno, Filipinos are assured of quality medicines.

Xeno products include drugs for cardiovascular health, pain management, hospital products, antibiotics and pediatrics.

Indeed, Tadena said, Xeno vows to continue providing quality healthcare for Filipinos. It aims to be a premier healthcare company. With Tadena at the helm, there’s no stopping Xeno from reaching this goal.