Roche invests in biotech drug research expansion
World-leading biotech company Roche has approved extensive investment plans for its Penzberg, Mannheim sites in Germany and Kaiseraugst facility in Switzerland.
World-leading biotech company Roche has approved extensive investment plans for its Penzberg, Mannheim sites in Germany and Kaiseraugst facility in Switzerland.
Around 280m Swiss francs (CHF) (Euro 173m) will be invested in expanding biotech drug research and development activities at Penzberg. And a further CHF150m (€93m) investment will be made at Mannheim and Kaiseraugst sites to expand modern syringe filling capacities for drugs such as Mircera, Pegasys or Actemra.
Roche ceo and chairman of the Board of Directors, Franz B. Humer, said: "After conducting a thorough evaluation of our production sites in many regions of the world and taking on board local business conditions at each, we have decided to make investments at these three sites in Germany and Switzerland.
'With our biopharmaceuticals heavily in demand, this step will both safeguard and expand production. Investments like this are very much long-term in nature and they create hundreds of jobs in and around the company. It is therefore essential that a stable, industry-friendly environment be maintained in the long term."
The decision means that Roche's investment in pharma production equipment in the last five years has totalled around CHF1bn (€600m) each in Germany and in Switzerland.