Altana AG Opens Pharma Production Facility in Ireland

PharmaManufacturing.com
07/07/2006

Altana Pharma, the pharmaceutical division of Altana AG (Bad Homburg, Germany) on July 7 officially opened a new tablet production facility in Cork (Ireland) in the presence of the Irish Prime Minister, Mr. Bertie Ahern. The new plant will play an important role in Altana Pharma's global production network and provide extended capacity for the manufacturing of existing and future products.

"The facility in Cork means that in addition to Oranienburg (Germany) Altana Pharma will have a second state-of-the-art, high-quality manufacturing site for solid formulations meeting the strictest international standards. This will provide greater flexibility and security in terms of supplying the market with our strategically important products," commented Dr. Hans-Joachim Lohrisch, CEO of Altana Pharma AG, at the official opening ceremony.

The Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern paid tribute to Altana's commitment in Cork. "We are delighted that Altana Pharma chose Cork as the second hub in its global manufacturing strategy," he said. "Altana Pharma is one of the fastest growing, most profitable pharmaceutical companies in Europe. I am very pleased that the company has a particularly strong emphasis on research and development. This is a great day for Carrigtohill, for the pharmaceutical industry and for Cork."

"The technology applied reflects Altana's commitment to innovation," said Dr. Declan Farrell, managing director of Altana Pharma's facility in Cork. "This means highly automated production equipment, producing products in a clean and environmentally sound manner, sophisticated IT systems as well as a modular design concept and an excellent work environment for the employees."

The tablet manufacturing facility on the 11-hectare plot in the Carrigtohill Industrial Park in Cork required an investment of EUR 67 million. The company currently employs 56 people. At full operational level, some 150 employees will be able to produce three billion tablets a year.

With demand for Altana's Pantoprazole, currently the most successful medicine from a German research laboratory and used in the treatment of acid-related gastrointestinal disorders, still rising, Cork will complement the production site in Oranienburg as a second tabletting site within the Pantoprazole supply chain.