Over 100 years of history
More than a century of history defined by the desire to grow and the courage to innovate, always driven by the purpose of advancing health and contributing to a better society. It is a century rich in accomplishments and widely recognised success, both nationally and internationally, and also shaped by the ability to overcome adversity.
Successful partnerships
Ferraz Lynce was founded as the representative of the German company Boehringer Mannheim, which was seeking an agent in Portugal.
It started its activity in 1924 in Travessa da Glória, in the very heart of Lisbon, with windows overlooking Avenida da Liberdade. Through dedicated and meticulous work, it quickly secured representation agreements with other pharmaceutical companies, while Boehringer Mannheim achieved significant scientific development, introducing anti-hypertensives, oral anti-diabetics and biochemical tests.
Own label
The company’s significant commercial growth led Ferraz Lynce to relocate its facilities to Rua Rosa Araújo, and later to FARMÁCIA INTERNACIONAL, which had meanwhile been acquired. With the support of German specialists, the company began producing its own products, the best known of which was Ergocol, a medicine used to treat obesity. Other medicines under the Farmácia Internacional brand were at the time manufactured in other national laboratories, until production reached a scale that justified the establishment of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in a building on Avenida Defensores de Chaves. This company, named Laboratório IBERFAR - Produtos Farmacêuticos, S.A., began operating in 1951 and took over the manufacturing in Portugal of medicines that Ferraz Lynce had until then imported and marketed.
Expansion
The company’s expansion projects led to the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Queluz de Baixo, in 1963, designed to accommodate a rapid and considerable increase in production, ultimately becoming the first unit in Portugal dedicated to the manufacture of pharmaceutical specialties. As a result of technological development and increasingly demanding quality requirements, the MSD plant was acquired in 1996, and the facilities were fully refurbished in terms of construction and infrastructure in order to meet the highest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards.
A new direction
Medical cannabis is Ferraz Lynce’s most recent initiative, undertaken in a joint project with other Iberfar Group companies.
In the name of public health
Ferraz Lynce is widely regarded as a recognised reference in the pharmaceutical market in Portugal, distinguished by the Ethics, Rigour and Quality that underpin all its activities. Its integration within a group of companies with 100 years of history in this industry further strengthens these characteristics. The company’s culture reflects a shared understanding that it operates in a very particular market, where public health and the well-being of the population take precedence over personal or commercial interests.