Sandoz to Build New Biologics Production Facility in Slovenia

Sandoz, the generics and biosimilars division of Novartis, announced on March 9, 2023 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to build a new biologics production plant in Lendava, Slovenia. The company expects to invest at least $400 million in this project, which represents one of the largest international private-sector investments in Slovenia, according to a company press release.

Work on the new plant is set to begin in 2023, and full operations are provisionally planned for late 2026. The facility will support the increasing global demand for biosimilars.

“Biosimilar medicines increase access to cutting-edge biologic therapies for the patients who need them most. This investment underscores our ambition to be the sustainable global leader in biosimilars, a segment projected to grow double-digit annually over the next decade,” said Richard Saynor, CEO, Sandoz, in the press release.

“This state-of-the-art site will … enable[e] us to meet growing demand for our current and future biosimilars in the mid- to long-term. The location offers us a strong combination of political stability, proximity to our existing European-based production and commercial operations, and competitive costs,” said Glenn Gerecke, global head of Technical Operations, Sandoz, in the release.

In addition to this biologics production facility, Sandoz also recently announced in 2022 an additional €50 million (US$53 million) investment (1) to expand its European-based antibiotics production network. Altogether, the company’s total new investment commitment in the past few years to expand its European-based antibiotics production network comes to €250 million (US$266 million).

Source: Novartis

Reference

1. Sandoz, “Sandoz Announces Further Investment in Key Manufacturing Facility in Austria, to Support Increased Global Demand for Essential Antibiotics,” Press Release, Nov. 7, 2022.