Teva GmbH
Ulm (ots)
At the Ulm site, the drug manufacturer Teva is building a state-of-the-art facility for the production of novel biotechnological drugs. The construction of the building and the construction of the production facilities have now been completed. The project called Genesis has thus reached a key milestone on the way to commissioning. Genesis is Teva’s largest investment in the world in the production of biological medicines. At peak times, 1,400 construction workers worked in parallel in the eight-storey building, which has a floor area of 5,000 m². Around 300 employees will work there at full capacity in the future. A first milestone was the installation of the 15,000 liter bioreactors. The so-called completion of the pharmaceutical expansion that has now taken place marks the end of the construction phase.
“The pharmaceutical expansion includes the certification of more than 400 individual systems and requires thousands of tests for devices, lines, filter systems and other components,” says Stefan Fügenschuh, Managing Director of Teva’s biopharmaceutical production at the Ulm site. This process requires close coordination and collaboration between multiple external suppliers and various internal teams.
“With Genesis, Teva is focusing on Germany as a production location. This decision is not a matter of course in view of the difficult general conditions for the pharmaceutical industry in this country. Ulm is located in the middle of the southern German biotech cluster, which offers the best conditions for specialists,” explains Andreas Burkhardt, Managing Director of Teva Germany and Austria. “Genesis is therefore above all a clear commitment to the expertise of the Ulm team. We keep the know-how locally, become less dependent on suppliers and strengthen our supply chains,” says Andreas Burkhardt.
Investment in the medicine of the future
Teva is investing a total of around 1 billion US dollars in biotechnological production at the Ulm site, the majority of it in Genesis. The project is therefore an important building block in Teva’s global strategy, but only part of the entire Ulm biotech production. Parallel to the new Genesis building, the existing biotech facilities in Ulm were also expanded. The future production structure in Ulm should make it easier for patients all over the world to access the latest medicines. Because biological medicines offer more therapeutic opportunities, they enable more targeted and gentler treatment options for complex and sometimes life-threatening diseases.
“Teva is investing in the future with Genesis, because biopharmaceutical products are becoming increasingly important. Almost half of all newly approved drugs are now biopharmaceuticals,” says Stefan Fügenschuh. “These drugs are used, for example, when the body is no longer able to produce certain proteins itself, for example during chemotherapy or in the case of chronic kidney failure. Then we can help with our drugs,” says Stefan Fügenschuh.
Ulm becomes a biopharmaceutical hub
Teva’s biotech strategy includes both the development and manufacture of innovative biopharmaceuticals, i.e. originator products, as well as biosimilars. These are very similar to an innovative biopharmaceutical and are equivalent in terms of function, quality and safety. Because they are less expensive than the respective originator preparations, biosimilars are considered the generics of biotechnology. Teva currently has seven biopharmaceuticals on the market and approximately 20 innovative biopharmaceutical or biosimilar programs in various stages of development.
The company has been producing biopharmaceuticals at the Ulm site since 2006. The new biotech building is specially designed for new and innovative antibody drugs. “Antibodies are the most complex biopharmaceuticals that exist,” says Stefan Fügenschuh. “They are made from living cells. Here in Ulm on a grand scale: The largest bioreactors have a working volume of 15,000 liters.”
Starting signal for the final phase
Now the employees can focus on the commissioning and qualification phase that has already started. This includes extensive test runs, ensuring that all systems are correctly installed and connected to all relevant components. The entire building is almost completely automated and digitized, everything has to be perfectly coordinated. “The production of biopharmaceuticals is very complex and technologically demanding. This also places special demands on the construction and commissioning of the plant,” says Stefan Fügenschuh. “Completing this phase will be another challenge for our team and will take some time. But we are encouraged by what we have achieved so far. Going forward, our expertise will help to better serve the needs of patients around the world . That drives us all.”
facts and figures
about the end of the construction phase for the Genesis project can be found online: https://bit.ly/3BeraeD
The world of biopharmaceuticals
For more information about biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals at Teva, visit www.teva.de/biotech
About Teva Germany
Every day, around 2,900 employees make it easier for millions of people to access medicines and give patients back a little independence. Be it about our medicines – innovative special medicines, generics and over-the-counter medicines – a low price or a special service.
Germany’s best-known drug brand, ratiopharm, belongs to Teva Germany. ratiopharm has stood for medicines of the highest quality at a reasonable price for 50 years. The commercial featuring the twins has now achieved classic status.
The German headquarters of Teva is in Ulm. Another production site is in Blaubeuren/Weiler. Teva’s goal is for patients to get the medicine they need, when and where they need it. 37,000 employees around the world work for this. Teva makes more than 3,500 different products available in over 60 countries.
Press contact:
Corporate Communications Teva Germany
Peter Wunner
Tel. 0731 402-5241
[email protected]
Original content from: Teva GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell