The Swiss pharmaceutical group Helsinn has announced new plans aimed at creating a competitive manufacturing organization focused on highly potent compounds, with strong R&D and production capabilities. Both financial investments and a new organization of the manufacturing sites in Ireland and Switzerland are part of this strategy. In March this year Helsinn invested over EUR 13 million, with the support of the Irish Government through IDA (Irish Development Authority), to build a Centre-of-excellence in Research and Development for Oral Solid Dosage (OSD), creating 10 high-value research positions, at one of its facilities near Dublin, Ireland. Now, the Helsinn Chemicals Organization located in Biasca, Switzerland, after an initial investment of about EUR 5 million completed in the recent years, is planning to expand the development and manufacturing services in the Swiss Helsinn Advanced Synthesis site. Part of the plan is also the sale of the Helsinn Chemicals Ireland Ltd. plant in Mulhuddart, Dublin, to the Italian company Medinco C.F.M. Group, a Milan-based chemical pharmaceutical company which specialises in the supply of generic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients to a global client base. The signature of the agreement between the parties was also announced today. “Helsinn is a rapidly-growing pharmaceutical group. Established in Switzerland in the late ’70s, the Group has rapidly built an organisation capable of successfully delivering products to global markets. This was made true thanks to the synergies between our integrated pharmaceutical commercial and manufacturing operations”, said Riccardo Braglia, CEO of the Helsinn Group. “The new organization of our R&D and production facilities in both Switzerland and Ireland represents one of our corporate strategic goals and is of significant benefit for the further growth of our international business,” he concluded.
