‘BIAL - 100 Years Inspired by the Future’ will be available on the company’s Youtube channel and RTP Play, with the participation of Paulo Portas, Daniel Bessa, José Aranda da Silva and other leading national figures.
The Portuguese biopharmaceutical company closes its 100th anniversary celebrations with the première of the documentary ‘BIAL - 100 Years Inspired by the Future’ on the company’s Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@BialPharmaceutical and on RTP Play, the Portuguese national TV broadcaster online platform. Directed by renowned international actor Pêpê Rapazote, the film takes a journey through the company's unique history, from its foundation in 1924 to the present day, covering its legacy of innovation and commitment to health.
The documentary is enriched by testimonies from managers, employees and leading figures in the Portuguese economy and science. Paulo Portas, former Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Daniel Bessa, former Minister of the Economy, José Aranda da Silva, first President of Infarmed and former President of the Order of Pharmacists, João Neto, director of the Pharmacy Museum and Joel Cleto, historian, are among the national figures who collaborate in this documentary.
The film features António Horta Osório, Chairman of the pharmaceutical company, António Portela, CEO, Miguel Portela, Chief Corporate Officer, and Luís Portela, President of the BIAL Foundation and former President of BIAL between 1979 and 2021, as well as several former employees.
The narrative highlights the most significant moments in the company's history and the major challenges overcome, as well as the philosophy and strategy implemented by four generations of the Portela family. These elements have turned BIAL into a case study in innovation and internationalisation, with the Made in Portugal label making its presence felt all over the world. The film's innovative narrative structure, combined with a vast collection of photographs, video and archival material, offers a unique look at BIAL's ten-decade history and the context of the country itself.
The documentary ‘BIAL - 100 Years Inspired by the Future’ will be available on RTP Play and will be broadcast on other RTP channels, as well as on BIAL's digital platforms.
Founded in April 1924 by Álvaro Portela in the centre of Porto, BIAL is now run by the fourth generation of the Portela family and is recognised as an international innovation company, with its own medicines that are marketed on a global scale.
The centenary celebrations, which took place throughout 2024, involved employees, partners and society in general. The highlight was a conference held on 25 June in the city of Porto, attended by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who awarded the company the Honorary Member of the Military Order of Santiago de Espada, a distinction awarded to a company for the first time, as well as decorating BIAL's longest-serving employee with the Order of Merit
