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For 63 years, Mission Pharmacal Co. has remained committed to customer service and quality products. “We are committed to quality and being innovative,” Vice President of Operations Eric White says. “Product quality is a primary focus for our company. We know by building the best products, we’ll maintain our customers for the long haul.    

“We don’t compromise on raw materials and packaging components to build our quality products, and we have reliable, robust manufacturing pro­cesses.”   

The San Antonio-based company was founded in 1946 by H.N. Walsdorf as a vitamin manufacturer. A pharmacist by trade, Walsdorf set the standard for excellence at the family owned firm, which is currently in its third generation of family leadership. Walsdorf believed that “most existing pharmaceutical formulations had the potential to be more therapeutically effective,” the company says. He often said, “A pharmaceutical product is no better than the purity and quality of the raw materials that go into its production.”

Partnership with Bayer
Mission Pharmacal manufactures dietary supplements, over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs. Its current portfolio of products is aimed at treating parasitic and bacterial infections, preventing kidney stone recurrence, aiding in prenatal nutrition and relieving arthritis and muscle pain.   

One of the company’s first product lines – prenatal vitamins – remains a best-selling item today. Citracal, a calcium citrate supplement, can be found in well-known drug stores and wholesalers across North America. CitraNatal prenatal vitamins are a spin-off of the Citracal brand and incorporate calcium citrate with vital nutrients necessary for the health and well-being of expecting mothers.    

Mission Pharmacal signed a long-term manufacturing agreement contract in 2007 with pharmaceutical giant Bayer Healthcare LLC and Bayer Consumer Care, which have distribution centers strategically placed throughout the United States. “Now that Mission provides exlusively for Bayer, it gives us a very healthy, strong manufacturing contract where we are able to bring our manufacturing services worldwide,” COO Max Martin says.

International Interests
Global distribution has been a key focus for Mission Pharmacal. Four years ago, the company acquired the rights to Tindamax®, which is an antiprotozoal drug used to treat specific types of parasitic infections, including the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis.    

In fact, when it was approved by the FDA in 2004, Tindamax marked the first advancement in trichomoniasis treatment in more than 40 years.    

“That product has a tremendous amount of potential,” Martin asserts. “It’s something we’re trying to figure out how to market a little differently and have talked to people from all over the world. One of the things that the agreement with Bayer  has done is introduce Mission to the rest of the world.” As such, Mission Pharmacal has negotiated with companies based in Israel, Australia, Sweden, Venezuela and Italy.    

The company’s Urocit®-K product is a formulation of potassium citrate used to treat kidney stones. “That’s a huge problem in the Middle East because of the heat, dehydration and genetics,” Martin says. “That’s one of the reasons why we think we could get a product into Isreal and other parts of the Middle East.”    

In addition, Mission Pharmacal would like to see Ferralet® 90, a product used to treat the traditional drawbacks of iron therapy, introduced to the international market. The company intends to continue its growth by looking into acquisitions or general synergies between other companies. And, expanding internationally is a smart move given today’s economic downturn, Martin notes.   

“Either by good fortune or by some insight that we had, we feel we’ve gotten a little bit ahead of the curve,” he says. “Getting into a long-term, exclusive contract manufacturing agreement with a company like Bayer doesn’t insulate you, but it does give you a solid ground to build from in this climate. It gives you a better chance to fight the market and economy.”    

That is not to say Mission Pharmacal hasn’t felt the pinch of a bruised economy. “We feel that we’re not through the storm by any means,” he admits. “We’ve looked at taking conservative steps, doing some things that will enable Mission to continue to grow as this tough economy gets
better.”

For instance, the company plans to relaunch its Performance Solutions division by increasing its marketing prowess on other forms of medical treatment in the sports market, such as creams and lotions. One example is Thera-Gesic, which relieves muscle soreness of athletes as well as individuals suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Vigilant Manufacturer
Mission Pharmacal operates from two manufacturing sites: a 32,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio and a 230,000-square-foot plant in Boerne, Texas, which was opened in 1993. The Boerne facility incorporates the latest manufacturing and production technologies and houses state-of-the-art testing, quality control, manufacturing and packaging.    

A separate research and development laboratory serves as the incubator for the company’s future innovations, White says. “Through vigilance, we are always looking at ways to do things better, either with equipment or materials,” he notes. “We always have that focus on quality. In terms of materials, we have long-term suppliers. We don’t switch in and out to get the best price; we go to the ones that have long-term histories with us that prove quality and reliability.”   

The company says it manages its inventory by building to order. “Our sales group provides forecasts and we build on those forecasts,” White explains. “We use various tools such as a market analysis subscription that allows us to find out how the movement of our products is doing at the store level. They can view our inventory at the plant and also predict sales demand.”   

Mission Pharmacal prides itself on its flexibility, Martin adds. “We work really well in that arena, so I think that keeps our contract customers agreements happy,” he adds. “Even though we wouldn’t have to do that according to their agreement, we strive to do everything we can to please our customers.”