Recipharm expands lyophilisation capabilities with Wasserburger purchase
Recipharm, of Sweden, is to buy Hospira subsidiary Wasserburger Arzneimittelwerk in Germany, for an undisclosed sum, with completion set for 31 January 2010.
Recipharm, of Sweden, is to buy Hospira subsidiary Wasserburger Arzneimittelwerk in Germany, for an undisclosed sum, with completion set for 31 January 2010.
Contract manufacturing organisation Wasserburger specialises in the aseptic filling and lyophilisation of pharmaceuticals into ampoules and vials. It operates from a single site in Wasserburg, Southern Germany.
Recipharm said the acquisition would enable it to add large-scale lyophilisation services to its established smaller-scale operation located in Basel, Switzerland. It will also gain new customers as well as improved access to the German market, which is one of Europe's largest.
The purchase is also an integral part of Recipharm's goal to become one of the world's leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisations (CDMO) by offering a "one-stop shop" for the development and manufacturing of large and small molecule biopharmaceuticals.
Recipharm has confirmed that it will continue to offer all of Wasserburger's current services and intends to keep all employees.
Thomas Eldered, ceo of Recipharm, said combining Wasserburger's technology with Recipharm's existing capabilities "puts us in a very strong position for the future".
Hospira chief operating office Terrence Kearney said selling Wasserburg supported Hospira's Project Fuel initiative and efforts to improve efficiency and free up resources to invest in new manufacturing technology.
"Hospira's recent acquisition in Europe and planned purchase in India represent the types of manufacturing investments that will drive sustainable growth in our core specialist injectable pharmaceutical and related One 2 One contracting manufacturing business," he said.
