CPHI Milan analysis ‘Lombardy the best location for pharma manufacturing in Europe’

The global pharma industry arrives in Milan next month at CPHI Milan – the world’s biggest pharma event, held at Fiera Milano [8-10 October] – as new analysis identifies Lombardy as ‘the best location for pharma manufacturing in Europe’.

The Lombardy region topped the small molecule category of CPHI European Manufacturing Rankings following a global survey of more than 300 pharma companies. Respondents to the survey were asked to score the major manufacturing centres of Europe out of ten as a destination to build a new manufacturing facility – factoring in the construction, access to qualified personnel and technology, and on-going operating costs. Lombardy finished well clear of its nearest rivals, scoring a hugely impressive 9.7, with Île de France [9.1] and Dublin [9] second and third respectively.

In terms of overall manufacturing output, Germany has long vied with Lombardy as the largest API manufacturing centre in Europe, but in the CPHI survey, all major German hubs including Baden-Württemberg [7.5] and Rhineland [7.2] scored lower. Lombardy is now more attractive for new enterprise and will grow faster over the next few years to become Europe’s primary pharma manufacturing region.

The results of the CPHI Annual Report Research are a significant boost to the region’s reputation as it prepares to welcome more than 62,000 pharma professionals.

In a further positive for regional prospects over the next year, Lombardy [8.9] was also selected as the third best region to build a biological facility, behind only Basel [9.3] and Dublin [9.2] – both of which have mature biologics industries.

In the last decade, Milan has become Europe’s key contract manufacturing location, and many global players are now investing in the region as centre for advanced manufacturing and biologics. For example, AGC Biologics last year completed an expansion to its Milan cell and gene therapy site, gaining an FDA GMP approval for Lenmeldy in March this year1 - making it the only CDMO site in the world to be approved for US patients.

The city of Milan is set to gain from an expected influx of 62,000 visitors from over 170 countries as global manufacturing growth is expected to accelerate in 2025, particularly in Lombardy. In fact, CPHI Milan is projected to inject more than €120 million directly into the local economy, alongside billions in contracts finalised during the week.

“Milan has long been a major centre for API manufacturing and our results show it remains a compelling location to build a new small molecule site. The region also has exceptional contract service offerings, with biomanufacturing facilities increasingly being built here", commented Tara Dougal, Brand & Content Director at CPHI Milan. “These combined factors make Lombardy an exciting location to host this year’s CPHI, and we look forward to bringing the global supply chain together in Milan to connect, do business and drive future growth.”

For further information on CPHI Milan or its report, please visit here.

_{1 https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2024/03/19/agc-biologics-to-manufacture-gene-therapy-for-metachromatic-leukodystrophy}