Sandoz, a key player in generic and biosimilar medicines, has opened two new European facilities, in line with its ongoing plans to strengthen sustainable development and supply of critical medicines in Europe and beyond, it said in a statement.
“The inauguration of a new facility for the production of penicillin at Kundl, Austria, and a new biosimilar development center in Holzkirchen, Germany, reaffirm the dual Sandoz commitment to ensuring sustainable access to quality antibiotics and spearheading the development of biosimilars,” the company said in a statement.
Sandoz has the only major remaining vertically-integrated production network for penicillins in Europe; penicillins are the leading category of antibiotics worldwide. The EUR 150 million Kundl investment, which includes a contribution of EUR 50 million from the Austrian federal government, represents a significant upgrade of penicillin API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) manufacturing.
Richard Saynor, CEO Sandoz said: “These investments strengthen our industrial presence in Europe, reinforce our commitment to environmental responsibility, and reaffirm our determination to be the world’s leading and most valued generics and biosimilars company. Antibiotics are the backbone of modern medicine and the Kundl plant is a testament to the resilience of European manufacturing. The new development center in Holzkirchen will become a global hub for biosimilar expertise.”
The Austrian federal and Bavarian state governments have been highly supportive of these projects, recognizing their importance for ensuring availability of medicines and advancing medical research in Europe.
Source : Financial Express