The history

25 years of Romanian innovation for health

1900 – 2000

Elena Pop, pharmacist by profession, laid the foundations of the first private pharmacy in the north of Romania and the first microproduction laboratory of medicines in the country. The AC HELCOR brand would represent what we are today: growth, innovation and stability – authenticity.

In 1993, the first manufacturing unit dedicated to solid pharmaceutical forms was opened, and within the research and development section, the technology for obtaining film-coated tablets was developed, also for the first time in Romania (1996).

In the same year (1996), the packaging of medicines is switched to blisters and the technology for obtaining retard/prolonged release tablets is finalised (1998). Officially, the 2nd production facility is being developed, with a capacity of 1,000,000 tablets per day, complying with GMP standards (accreditation in 2000), with the latest technology.

2001 – 2009

At the beginning of the 2000s, the first GMP drug research pilot station appears, for technological transfer and scaling, with homothetic series and GLP accreditation of the AC HELCOR physico-chemical control laboratory.

Also during this period, 40 clinical bioequivalence studies are carried out, in partnership with research centers, the HELCOR Cadio range is finalized with over 26 drugs, of which 15 are in the first Romanian production, and a portfolio of over 50 generic drugs . AC HELCOR expands in the pharmaceutical space in Europe, but also on other foreign markets (European authorizations).

The first production of medicines of natural origin is launched, with standardized extracts and in compliance with GMP pharmaceutical standards – Bioline (BioSunLine) – for the first time in Romania (2004).

2010 – Present

In 2011, the inauguration of the AC HELCOR pharmaceutical museum takes place – “Founding pharmacist – Elena Pop”, and the establishment of the AC HELCOR Training Center, a project carried out with European support.

Also during this period, the AC HELCOR Central Warehouse was established, with extensive storage and operation capacities, according to GMP quality standards.

Three years later (2015) the MIC accreditation of the AC HELCOR Pharmaceutical Development Research Center takes place – mass production for scientific clinical research.