Henri

ollowing his pharmacy degree in Clermont-Ferrand and one year in North America in New York and Quebec, Henri Chibret was entrusted with the management of the ensemble of Chibret Laboratories export activities in 1965.

One of his priorities was to set up Chibret in Germany (with Pierre Czapinski who was working for Franco-German reconciliation) and in the emerging Gulf countries, Irak and Saudi Arabia. Following the handover of Chibret Laboratories to Merck in 1969, Henri pursued his career for several years with Merck in Belgium and then with Ferlux in Clermont-Ferrand.
In 1978 he created Transphyto Laboratories which developed new ophthalmic molecules. A resoundingly innovative strategy which made Transphyto one of France's first 'start-ups' with French or foreign laboratories responsible for producing and marketing his innovations. Transphyto's revenue was generated by royalties and the sale of patented raw materials. The second original factor was to externalize the majority of research activity to subcontractors and the best medical research institutes.

Henri's collaboration with Professor Philippe Lapalus from the Nice Faculty of Medicine and with Pierre-Paul Elena (Iris-Pharma) were precious concerning the subjects of toxicology and ocular pharmacology. Transphyto's principal partners were Allergan, Ciba-Vision, MSD... This strategy was very productive in terms of R&D but did not allow Transphyto to be recognized by ophthalmologists. The company was also very dependent on its licensees. In 1994, Théa Laboratories was created in order to commercialize Transphyto's new products, in France initially and later throughout Europe.

Théa Laboratories development is based (like that of Chibret Laboratories and Biophysic Medical) on innovation, notably in the domain of dry-eye, ocular herpes, allergy, glaucoma, infection etc. The latest product is an Azithromycine ointment (AZYTER), the first short duration treatment for purulent bacterial conjunctivitis and trachoma. Théa purchased some well-known ointments from Merck in 2004 (Chibro-Cadron, Rifamycine Chibret, Chibroxine, Mydriaticum) which complete Théa's range in the French and foreign markets.

Henri Chibret followed his family's tradition and developed innovative packaging for his products. In 1996 he launched the first preservative-free vial – the ABAK – which keeps contents sterile for two months after opening through the use of a filtering membrane. Undesirable side effects from preservatives are therefore avoided. Ironically, Henri got rid of the preservative that his father had introduced some 50 years before ! The ABAK system is very successful with sales of over 10 million vials per year.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Henri set himself three targets: to increase research efforts, to continue the expansion of the group in Europe (Théa is the leading independent eye care company in Europe) and to establish his nephew Jean-Frédéric CHIBRET at the helm of the company.