Could you introduce Savant—its founding story, who you are today, and the role the company plays in Argentina and abroad?
I created the company in Córdoba three decades ago, when I was a 22-year-old pharmacy student. It began in Arroyito, Córdoba, with a single purpose: to democratise access to high-quality medicines at competitive prices. Starting outside Buenos Aires was unusual for a pharmaceutical venture, yet that regional mindset, combined with a global outlook, produced a business model that has proven both sustainable and scalable for more than 30 years.
In 2019, we founded Virixene, an international pharmaceutical group operating through three business units: General Medicines in the Southern Cone, Vivunt OTC Medicines in the United States, and Vivunt Oncology in Europe. In Argentina, our leading brands include Fabogesic and Fluorogel. In the U.S., we market our OTC lines — Notts (pain relief) and Axiv (cold, flu, allergy, and sleep aid) — directly to consumers on platforms such as Amazon. Meanwhile, in León, Spain, we manufacture sterile oncology drugs for international partners under a CDMO model at an EU Annex 1-compliant facility.
What main advantages and disadvantages do you see in the Argentine pharmaceutical market compared with other regions where you operate?
Argentina’s greatest strengths are its size, maturity and talent pool. Our principal scientific, technical and managerial teams are based either in Argentina or neighbouring Uruguay, and the domestic market itself remains large enough to sustain ambitious product pipelines. Those attributes have underpinned our growth and allowed us to internationalise without losing local depth.
The flip-side is chronic macro-instability. Currency volatility, shifting export rules, high tax and labour costs, and expensive capital make medium- and long-term investment unusually difficult. Launching a product or building a plant demands horizons that local conditions seldom guarantee. We have navigated that terrain for 30 years, yet it is clear that if the same entrepreneurial effort had begun in Europe or the United States, Savant’s scale today would almost certainly be larger.
Do you expect those Argentine headwinds to ease in the near future, and could a more stable environment benefit the wider economy and the pharmaceutical sector in particular?Broadly, yes. The economic logic now being discussed—a more open market, less state intervention and a shift toward private-sector employment—has proved effective elsewhere, so the framework for change exists. However, lasting reform in Argentina is as much cultural as it is political: it requires society to decide whether it values private entrepreneurship and merit over a more protectionist model.
If that societal consensus emerges and remains intact for, say, 20 years, the benefits would be structural. Stable rules would encourage sustained capital investment, strengthen the patent system, and create a transparent pathway from R&D to the patient. That in turn would lift productivity, exports and employment—transforming today’s vicious cycles into virtuous ones.
Because Savant has already grown despite those obstacles, would a more favourable landscape allow you to scale to the size you might have achieved in Europe or the United States?
Absolutely. Operating under constraint has forced us to build resilience, optimise costs, and extract value from every process. If the macro environment normalises, we could redirect that same discipline toward expansion rather than mere survival, funding more R&D, broader portfolios and deeper market penetration.
Success in adversity also means our teams possess rare problem-solving skills; with supportive conditions they could channel that energy into more challenging, higher-return projects. Put simply, we already know how to run a lean, export-oriented business; remove the structural frictions and the ceiling on our growth rises dramatically.
How do you envisage Savant’s next phase of growth in terms of therapeutic areas and geographic markets?
Domestically our core strength remains pain management—especially moderate pain—and antibiotics. We were pioneers in soft-gel capsules and will keep investing there, but any new dosage form we adopt must pair technical feasibility with a route-to-market we can dominate.
Internationally we see two complementary paths. First, scaling our U.S. OTC presence, where direct-to-consumer channels let us speak straight to patients. Second, expanding our sterile-oncology capacity in Spain through high-value CDMO contracts.
Global pharma innovation is usually associated with U.S. hubs. What makes Argentine talent competitive in that arena?
Growing up in Argentina equips professionals with an instinct for navigating uncertainty. That adversity breeds resilience, flexibility and a habit of challenging the status quo—leadership traits that cannot be taught quickly. Couple that attitude with solid public and private universities and a long tradition of English-language education, and you get scientists and engineers who can operate fluently on the world stage.
In practical terms, an Argentine engineer or chemist is accustomed to solving problems with limited resources and tight deadlines. When placed in an environment with stable financing and predictable regulation, that same person typically excels. Talent, therefore, is one of the country’s most valuable raw materials, and it underpins every expansion plan we have.
Across your career, where have you seen the most radical impact from digital transformation and, more recently, artificial intelligence?
Our embrace of technology predates today’s AI boom. Twenty years ago we implemented the Balanced Scorecard and SAP when Savant was still small, then layered a Business Intelligence system on top. Those tools aligned our strategy, finance, customer focus and human-capital metrics well before “digital transformation” became a buzzword.
The pandemic accelerated the next leap: we went fully remote, closed a prestigious head office and saved roughly USD 500 000 annually, proving that crises are opportunities. Now AI is moving centre-stage. Specialised teams are integrating machine learning into everything from demand forecasting to formulation, but always in tandem with human expertise. We see AI and human intelligence as complementary; one will not replace the other, yet together they unlock performance levels neither could achieve alone.
From your vantage point in both countries, how do U.S. business leaders view Argentina today, and what message would you give them about Savant?
Frankly, Argentina represents barely 0.5 percent of global GDP, so for many executives it is an afterthought—sometimes even confused with Venezuela. Lionel Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer and President Milei’s libertarian profile have raised visibility, but perceptions are still shaped by our history of policy reversals. Investors want proof that Argentina can behave like a responsible actor in a capitalist system before extending credit or long-term partnerships.
Virixene offers such proof. We have thrived for 30 years in a volatile setting, built an EU-certified sterile facility, and marketed U.S. OTC brands that reach consumers directly. Our track record demonstrates discipline, compliance and an ability to turn constraints into innovation. To American stakeholders reading this, the message is simple: when Argentina aligns policy with private initiative, companies like Savant can amplify value quickly—and we are ready to do exactly that.
