Two Germany-based companies have made major investments at the Dessau BioPharmaPark. Merz has opened a new filler plant in BioPharmaPark, Dessau-Rosslau, Germany. At the same time, Oncotec, a medac-subsidiary, has unveiled a new €35 million (US$38.7m) filling line investment at the site.
$16m from Merz
Merz, specialists in aesthetics and neurotoxins, constructed the new plant to meet the growing global demand for its Belotero dermal fillers, expanding the range of products manufactured at its Dessau site. The new building represents a €15m ($16.6) investment and spans over 1,200 sqm on three floors. About 150 Merz employees are currently working at the company's Dessau site.
Philip Burchard, CEO of Merz, said: "The new production plant is of strategic importance to our business, as it enables us to meet the increasing demand for our dermal fillers. We are proud that our location in Dessau plays such a crucial role in securing the international supply of our medical aesthetics products."
In 2002, Merz established its initial production footprint in the BioPharmaPark in Dessau to manufacture the API botulinum neurotoxin. Merz soon invested in a state-of-the-art aseptic plant at the Dessau site for the production of its own botulinum neurotoxin, used for the treatment of neurological movement disorders and medical aesthetics. The company produces the active ingredient in a complex biotechnological process using aseptic filling and freeze-drying.
The new production plant has been built to produce hyaluronic acid dermal fillers from the company's Belotero product range. The production takes place according to the highest international standards under cleanroom conditions. The expansion of the Dessau site enables Merz to increase overall production capacity to meet the growing demand for its HA dermal filler range, which is sold under the brand name Belotero.
Dr Torsten Wagner, Senior VP of Global Technical Operations, explained: "Premium production quality has always been a top priority for us at Merz. Since our first production site in Dessau opened in 2002, we have continuously invested in this location to ensure the highest quality, safety and technology standards, in line with our growth plans."
$38m from Oncotec
Oncotec, a global manufacturer of essential medicines in cancer and autoimmune diseases, specialises in particular in the production and development as well as the freeze-drying of liquid cytostatics. Oncotec has unveiled its robot-controlled filling line and installation for the fully automatic visual inspection of syringes to coincide with the company's 22nd anniversary of the successful production of medicinal products in Dessau-Rosslau.
Jörg Hans, CEO of medac, said: "This is great news for the 306 people currently employed by Oncotec. After all, these installations are not only an investment in our future but also in the Dessau site."
