“We are proud to host the only large end-to-end penicillin manufacturing site in Europe. » In front of the Sandoz staff, meeting this Thursday, March 21 on the occasion of the inauguration of the pharmaceutical laboratory’s new factory in Kundl, Austria, the governor of Tyrol, Anton Mattle, does not hide his enthusiasm in the face of this local success when it was time to cut the ribbon. Four months earlier, he had already had the opportunity to celebrate, in a festive atmosphere with drums and trumpets, another baptism in this same place.
On November 10, 2023, the pharmaceutical laboratory celebrated, alongside the elected official and the Austrian Minister of Labor and the Economy, the commissioning of its new active ingredient production unit intended for the manufacture of penicillin, this family of antibiotics among the most commonly used in the world to treat bacterial infections, and of which amoxicillin, the main production of the Kundl factory, is a member. The investment of 150 million euros, including 50 million put on the table by the Austrian government, enabled the manufacturer to equip itself with a more efficient and less energy-consuming manufacturing process.
This Thursday, it was the turn of another investment, this time of 50 million euros, to be in the spotlight. The group opened the doors to its new 3,000 square meter extension, built in order to strengthen its antibiotic production capacities at the formulation and packaging stages of finished products. It will make it possible to increase the number of boxes of antibiotics in all forms (syrup, tablets, powder to reconstitute, etc.), and manufactured from start to finish in Kundl, from 200 to 240 million per year.
An abandoned brewery
The brand new building has increased the surface area of this industrial site lost in the middle of the Tyrolean mountains by 10%. It now covers more than 30,000 square meters, making it today the only factory in Europe ensuring on a large scale all stages of penicillin production, from the active substance to packaging. The story begins in 1946, when six chemists decided to set up shop in an abandoned brewery to manufacture penicillin. Five years later, after having succeeded in developing the first oral penicillin, the Biochemie company began to attract attention, notably from the Swiss Sandoz, who bought the company in 1963, then marketed the antibiotic on a large scale. Since then, the old brewery has continued to expand.
You have 50.94% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.