Boehringer's expanded biopharmaceutical plant open for business

Boehringer Ingelheim's Research & Development and Biotechnology site in Biberach, Germany, has been officially opened.

Since the expansion and modernisation of the plant was started in 2005, a total of Euro 80 million has been invested in the project.

Together with the second production facility for active pharmaceutical ingredients derived from mammalian cell culture in Biberach (an investment of €255 million), which started operations in 2004, the company owns state-of-the-art technology that will enable it to further expand its position as a leading manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals.

"The expansion of the biopharmaceutical production plant became necessary because the plant, which started operations in 1986, was approaching its capacity limits", said: Dr. Uwe Buecheler, senior vice-president Biopharmaceuticals.

Fermentation yields had increased by a factor of 100 - from the range of milligrams to grams - within only a few years. As a result, capacity increases became necessary in downstream processing (purification of protein active substances). The plant shut down for the expansion was also used to completely modernize the facility.

The two biopharmaceutical production plants in Biberach, enable Boehringer Ingelheim to manufacture innovative drugs for its own requirements as well as to meet the contract manufacturing demands of its collaboration partners.