Military Chemical and Pharmaceutical Production Facility – Florence
Military Chemical Farmaceutical Production Facility – Florence
industrial capabilities
From Research to Production, from Infrastructure to the Patient: Bridging Defence and Healthcare
The Military Chemical and Pharmaceutical Production Facility of Florence, whose mission is “to serve citizens, the Armed Forces and the Nation by ensuring, through criteria of quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency, the protection of public health and the management of health emergencies in the specific chemical-pharmaceutical sector, while promoting scientific research, specialised training and information, and environmental sustainability through an ethical-social approach and public-private synergy”, has stood alongside the major events that have shaped Italian history since 1853.
Today, it is recognised as the only State hub in Italy combining high-tech industrial capability, strategic procurement and emergency logistics, representing a comprehensive response to the need for pharmaceutical autonomy and operational resilience.
The Production System: Multidisciplinary Excellence
The SCFM operates across diversified production lines covering the full spectrum of health and wellbeing, ensuring compliance with GMP and GACP standards.
PHARMACEUTICAL & BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AREA
- Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases: Ethical production of life-saving molecules (e.g. Mexiletine, Tiopronin, D-penicillamine) not available on the global market;
- Medical Cannabis: The only national centre for the cultivation, processing and pharmaceutical distribution of standardised inflorescences and oil extracts (FM1 and FM2 varieties);
- Aseptic Filling “Azzurra”: Sixth-generation robotic technology for the aseptic filling of injectables and liquid products in total isolation, ideal for vaccines and monoclonal antibodies at industrial scale;
- Antidotes and CBRN Hub: Production of potassium iodide, autoinjectors and decontamination kits for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence.
NUTRACEUTICAL, COSMETICS AND “LIFE-SUPPORT”
- Advanced Supplementation: Dedicated lines for rare diseases (calcium/magnesium salts) and high-performance formulations (ITAVIS brand: energy, sleep, probiotics);
- Functional Cosmetics: Dermophilic solutions and professional hygiene products designed for external and demanding conditions;
- Food Products: Herbal liqueurs (Elisir di China, Enocordial) and high-quality food products representing Made in Italy excellence;
- Biocides: High-concentration professional repellents (Permethrin) for protection in endemic areas.
Strategic Procurement: Infrastructure and Equipment
In addition to in-house production, the SCFM operates through the Defence Industries Agency as a central purchasing and integration body for complex healthcare systems, ensuring operational readiness in all scenarios.
MOBILE HEALTCARE INFRASTRUCTURE
Procurement and management of modular solutions for healthcare deployment in crisis or remote areas:
- Modular Field Hospitals: Shelters and high-insulation pneumatic tents equipped with laminar-flow HVAC systems (HEPA) for field surgery;
- Decontamination Units: Transportable systems for mass treatment in the event of CBRN incidents;
- Mobile Intensive Care Units: Ready-to-use ISO containers for advanced life support.
ADVANCED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
- Procurement of “ruggedised” diagnostic and therapeutic technologies designed for use in challenging environments.
Military Chemical Farmaceutical Production Facility – Florence
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
- European Project EU4HEALTH Joint Action – Strategic Stockpiles of Medical Countermeasures (2025–2028)
Work Packages 6 and 7, on behalf of the Ministry of Health; - Reconstruction of the Neonatal Unit of Odessa (Ukraine) (2025–2026)
On behalf of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (MAECI).
Integrated Solutions: “Medical Kits”
The added value of the SCFM lies in its ability to integrate production and procurement into ready-to-deploy solutions:
- Individual & Unit Kits: Self-care kits for soldiers and backpacks for unit medics;
• Combat Medical Kits: “Stop Shock” kits for the control of massive haemorrhage in the field; - CBRN Response Kits: Complete sets of antidotes, autoinjectors and specific PPE for non-conventional threats;
- Corporate and Civil Kits: First-aid equipment compliant with workplace safety regulations (Legislative Decree 81/08).
Research&Development and Training
The Military Chemical and Pharmaceutical Production Facility of Florence is not only a production site, but also a forward-looking innovation laboratory, recently strengthened by the establishment of the Research Centre for Pharmaceutical and Applied Chemistry (recognised by the Ministry of University and Research in 2025).
R&D FOE DEFENCE: “TO PROTECT THOSE WHO PEOTECT US”
Innovation is aimed at ensuring the strategic autonomy of the Armed Forces in critical scenarios:
- CBRN Defence: Development of next-generation antidotes and advanced decontamination kits (Projects DANTE, MANDRA, ARES);
- Combat Medicine: Research on formulations stable under extreme climatic conditions and solutions for rapid haemorrhage control (Stop Shock Project);
- Sovereign Production: Development of essential medicines to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers in geopolitically unstable contexts.
“DUAL USE” INNOVATION: BEYOND PROFIT
Military excellence is placed at the service of public health, addressing areas where the private market is absent:
- Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases: The SCFM is a key pillar of Law 175/2021, developing essential medicines and actively contributing to the National Plan for Rare Diseases;
- Medical Cannabis Project: The only authorised producer in Italy, with ongoing research into new phytocomplexes and oil extracts for neurological applications and pain therapy (FITNESS Project).
CERTIFICATIONS
Military Chemical Farmaceutical Production Facility – Florence
HISTORY
HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE INDUSTRIAL PLANT
The Military Chemical-Pharmaceutical Plant in Florence traces its functional origins to the Royal Decree of December 22, 1832, when King Charles Albert of Savoy founded the Superior Council of the Sardinian Army, whose members included a pharmacist chemist. The regulatory provision also stipulated the need to “order, as soon as possible, the establishment of a general chemical-pharmaceutical laboratory.” The need for this specificity, however, led only in 1853 to the establishment of a body responsible for the processing of preparations for use. Thus, on June 26, 1853, the new King Victor Emmanuel II approved the Royal Decree for the organization of the Military Chemical-Pharmaceutical Service. More specifically, Article 1 stated: “For the better functioning of the military pharmaceutical service, a Military Pharmacy Depot is established, with an attached general chemical-pharmaceutical laboratory, from which all medications required for the medical and veterinary service of the Army on land shall be administered, both in military hospitals and in corps and establishments where infirmaries exist.” The Military Pharmacy Depot was located in Turin on Corso Siccardi, and in 1884 it changed its name to the Central Military Pharmacy. In its functional evolution, the establishment was also characterized, starting in 1900, by its important state quinine production laboratory, whose distribution throughout the country was highly effective in the contemporary fight against malaria as well as in meeting every other civil and social need. The plant’s international significance led to its being awarded a prize at the International Exhibition of Social Hygiene in Paris in 1911. The experience of the Great War led to the evaluation of further upgrades, specifically to meet the diverse needs arising from the conflict. Thus, in 1920, the institution changed its name again, becoming the Military Chemical Pharmaceutical Institute. In 1931, it moved to the Rifredi district of Florence, to better meet the needs of supply and distribution throughout the Kingdom of Italy.
Military Chemical Farmaceutical Production Facility – Florence
DIRECTOR OF THE INDUSTRIAL PLANT
ColonEL ARCANGELO MORO
DRUGS PORTAL SCFM
COMMUNICATIONS
On the Pharmaceutical Portal, you can choose to order and purchase drugs for the treatment of rare diseases, produced by the Military Chemical Pharmaceutical Plant in Florence.
Reserved area for urgent communications and drug requests from personnel assisted by the Military Chemical Pharmaceutical Plant.
