Allergopharma, the allergy meds unit of Merck KGaA, has opened a new biopharmaceutical production plant near Hamburg.
The €42 million ($44.4 million), 6,000-square-meter (64,583-square-foot) facility was built at the current Allergopharma complex in Reinbek. It is part of a global expansion, Simon Sturge, CFO of Merck’s healthcare unit, said in a statement.
The new facility includes an entirely glass cleanroom on the 2,000-square-meter ground floor of the building. When Allergopharma announced plans for the new facility in 2013, it said about 40 jobs would be added to the site to staff the new, two-story facility, where Allergopharma will make recombinant allergens to treat conditions like hay fever and allergic asthma. About 500 employees work at the site.
The company has said this is Allergopharma’s largest investment to date and will help with its expansion into emerging countries like China as well as developed markets.
By Eric Palmer
Source: Fierce Pharma
Giovanni Caforio, the former CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, is set to become the next board chairman of Novartis, which on Tuesday proposed the pharmaceutical industry veteran as its pick to replace Joerg Reinhardt in the role next year. Reinhardt has served as Novartis’ chair since 2013 and plans to retire when his 12-year term ends in 2025.
GE HealthCare has raised the curtain on two ultrasound systems equipped with artificial intelligence programs designed to assist in diagnosing conditions in women’s health, including obstetric exams. The Voluson Signature 20 and 18 imaging systems include AI tools capable of automatically identifying and annotating measurements of fetal anatomy.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry have revealed a new sustainable method of manufacturing complex molecules that could reduce waste produced during drug production. The method published in Nature Chemistry could help to prevent severe side effects caused by drugs that can exist as enantiomers.