Lyocontract has announced the investment of €50m into a new freeze-drying facility, in partnership with Syntegon, who will equip the new building with a complete line for filling and lyophilisation.
The company cited increased demand for freeze-dried parenteral products in vials as the reason for the investment.
It added that the facility, based in Ilsenburg, will be equipped with the new equipment in stages, with the first line already planned and delivery scheduled for summer 2027.
"With the groundbreaking ceremony, we are paving the way for further growth," said Dr Tino Galgon, Managing Director of Lyocontract.
Our goal is to establish Lyocontract as a leading contract manufacturer for sterile freeze-dried products of the highest quality.
"With such an ambitious project, it is essential to have the right partners at our side. Syntegon will provide us with the complete line and handle the entire project from a single source."
"Since merging the Syntegon and Telstar portfolios in October 2024, we have significantly expanded our offering and can now provide our customers with comprehensive lines with fewer interfaces and a single point of contact throughout the entire lifecycle of the line," said Dr Matthias Wagner, Managing Director of Syntegon Telstar.
"We are very proud that Lyocontract has placed its trust in us and look forward to this partnership."
Focus on Annex 1 compliance and flexibility
The new line will encompass the entire process: in addition to the filling and closing machine with an integrated isolator, it includes a loading and unloading system and a freeze-dryer.
"We need a line that meets the regulatory requirements of EU GMP Annex 1 from the outset, offers the necessary flexibility in terms of products and container sizes and ensures high performance with minimal downtime," Galgon explained.
For Syntegon, it is the first vial project with integrated freeze-dryers in Germany and thus also an important milestone for further growth.
"The feedback on the integration of Telstar has been very positive," Wagner said.
Several new customer projects worldwide have already shown why a single partner makes a decisive difference, both in terms of cooperation and technological implementation.
"It is therefore all the more rewarding to now be able to demonstrate these capabilities together with Lyocontract.”