03.04.2014 - 18:44
The president of the pharmaceutical multinational Grífols, Victor Grífols, publicly expressed his support for the president of the Generalitat, Artur Mas, in the process of sovereignty. “President, I know you’re having a hard time, that you are determined, and excuse me, but… go for it, do not falter now,” he said. The comments came during the inauguration of a new Grífols plasma fractioning plant in Parets del Vallès. “When an organization, whatever type it may be, has a clear objective, a clear idea of where its future lies, any criticisms that question its strategy or reason for being should not make it afraid,” said Grífols.
Mas thanked Grífols for his “valor and courage” and pointed out that the multinational invests in the United States, the Spanish State, and in Catalonia. And then he added, “Despite the apocalyptic messages that some people are offering, common sense will end up prevailing in the economy.”
The United States considers the Catalan pharmaceutical company one of the three hundred strategic elements of the planet, listed in the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative, elaborated by the Department of Homeland Security, and which includes infrastructures, natural resoures, and private businesses. Grífols appears on the 2009 version of the list which was leaked by WikiLeaks on December 5, 2010.
Washington’s interest in the pharmaceutical laboratory is due to the Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV), a product derived from the treatment of plasma and which has various therapeutic applications.
Grífols, with its subsidiaries in twenty countries, is defined as the first company in Europe in the market of hemoderivatives and one of the top five in the world. In 2009, they had sales of 913 million euros ($1,257,383,600 USD).
Here is a transcript of Mr. Grífols comments:
Let me say that when an organization, whatever type it may be, has a clear objective, a clear idea of where its future lies, any criticisms that question its strategy or reason for being should not make it afraid. With steadfastness and determination, one can go very far. And this last message, President, is for you in particular. I know you’re having a hard time, that you are determined, and excuse me, but… go for it, do not falter now. Thank you.
