Allergopharma opens new biopharmaceutical production in Reinbek

Merck's €42 million investment expands the allergies business on a global scale.

Merck's allergy business Allergopharma has opened its new biopharmaceutical production in Reinbek, near Hamburg. Torsten Albig, MinisterPresident of the Schleswig-Holstein region, recognized the €42 million investment as a local milestone for the pharmaceutical industry as a key industry for the future.

"Allergopharma has now been around for 48 years. Around 600 employees, 500 of which in Schleswig-Holstein, are working hard to improve the remedies available to people with allergies. The extension [...] is a powerful declaration of commitment to this location," commented Minister-President Torsten Albig.

‘By this €42 million investment Merck is supporting the Reinbek site to expand the allergies business on a global scale. The new production building is part of this global expansion, and will support our growing business in the allergy market place," said Simon Sturge, Chief Operating Officer at the Healthcare business sector of Merck, at the inauguration in Reinbek. "From a technology point of view, the new biopharmaceutical production is a quantum leap. It means an increase in supply safety for patients, a further improvement of product quality and future innovations towards improving therapy," Marco Linari, CEO of Allergopharma, added. The capacity of the new factory is a cornerstone in the global expansion of Allergopharma.

Allergopharma, the allergy business of the Healthcare business sector of Merck, is a leading player in the allergen immunotherapy (AIT) of type I allergies, such as hay fever or allergic asthma. Allergopharma’s aspiration is to be a trusted partner in supporting patients with innovative compounds in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. This is underlined by the new cutting-edge biopharmaceutical factory, which covers 6,000 m2. The entirely glass cleanroom, in which the company will manufacture its products for causal treatment, can be found on the 2,000 m2 ground floor of the building.

Merck laid the foundations for the building in December 2013. Alongside the cleanrooms for biopharmaceutical production, the new building has ultra-modern technological operations, a glass visitors’ foyer with a view of the cleanrooms and the potential for extension to accommodate further filling lines.