On Friday 14 April, the leader of Spain's Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, visited our facilities, where he had the opportunity of seeing the entire development and manufacturing process of adeno-associated vectors (AAVs), employed to meet the growing global demand for gene therapy.

He was accompanied by Carlos Iturgaiz, Chairman of PP in the Basque Country; Mikel Lezama, presidential candidate of the PP for Gipuzkoa and Borja Corominas, candidate for San Sebastian City Council, among others.

Also present accompanying Feijóo were: Bernardo Kanahuati, managing director of Bayer in Spain and Portugal and head of the Pharmaceutical Division in Spain and Portugal, Jimmy Vanhove, CEO of Viralgen, and Javier García Cogorro, Chairman of the Board and founder of Viralgen.

During the visit, the dignitaries were Informed of the importance of the work carried out by Viralgen and about how this recent industry is radically changing the quality of life of people affected by genetic diseases, who until now had no hope of a cure but now do. 

“Congratulations to this great company for having grown from 7 employees in 2016 to 400 in the first quarter of 2023. It is clear that this is a major initiative, in which it can be seen that, if we all pull together, we can produce biological medications and match the biggest countries in the world. Having expanded from a workforce of 7 to 400 is the result of a set of factors that have contributed to this success: the public administration has played its part, as has the central government through the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology), the company’s talent, the shareholders and investors. It is a model that we have to consolidate in Euskadi and pass on to the rest of the country”, said Alberto Núñez Feijóo after his visit to the organisation's new production plant.

“This visit is important for us because it highlights the value of the advances, we are achieving to fulfill our mission of making gene therapies increasingly accessible to those who need them most”, affirmed our CEO,  Jimmy Vanhove.

Founder and current Chairman of the Board, Javier García Cogorro, said that “these meetings are crucial to explain how work based on R&D and knowledge is transformative not only for patients and their families but also for society in general and for the productive model".

On this occasion, the dignitaries were informed about the history of the organisation which, in less than a decade, has grown from 7 employees to over 400, and of its future projects to consolidate its current position as a pioneer and leader in the industry.