Sandoz, a major pharmaceutical company, has opened its first of three major new facilities in Slovenia by launching a $99 million biosimilar development center in Ljubljana. This 10,000 square meter facility is designed to improve Sandoz’s ability to develop and produce biosimilar medications—safe, effective, and lower-cost versions of biologic drugs. The center will use advanced technology, including data science and analytics, to speed up the development process. This investment is part of a larger plan where Sandoz is spending over $1.1 billion in Slovenia to strengthen its production and development capabilities.
Richard Saynor, the CEO of Sandoz, explained, “This new biosimilar development center in Ljubljana is a major step forward for our company. It will help us improve our existing pipeline of biosimilar medications and make production faster and more efficient. Over the next ten years, many expensive biologic drugs will lose patent protection, creating a ‘golden decade’ for biosimilars. This means we can provide more affordable healthcare options to patients, potentially saving healthcare systems around $320 billion.”
Gilbert Ghostine, the Chairman of Sandoz, added, “By opening this new biosimilar development center, we are investing in the future of medicine. Our goal is to bring high-quality biosimilars to patients quickly and at lower costs while also supporting healthcare systems to remain sustainable.”
This new center is part of Sandoz’s plan to expand its biosimilar operations in Europe. In addition to this center, Sandoz is building a new sterile production and packaging facility in Brnik, which was announced last July. They have also acquired a biosimilar production site in Toulouse, France, from Just-Evotec Biologics.
To further strengthen its biosimilar offerings, Sandoz has also partnered with Samsung Bioepis in March. This collaboration will focus on developing and commercializing up to five new biosimilar medications and could expand Sandoz’s biosimilar pipeline by up to 32 new products. This partnership aims to take full advantage of the growing biosimilar market, where many expensive biologic drugs will soon become available in generic-like versions.