June 15 (SeeNews) - Pharmaceuticals producer Pfizer said it has started construction works on a 100 million euro ($105 million) biotechnology production plant near the Croatian capital Zagreb.
“We have expanded our investment in Croatia. The work has begun on the construction of a new, high-tech production plant in Savski Marof, near Zagreb, with an investment worth about 100 million euros, which comes from a partnership with the Swedish international biopharmaceutical company SOBI and Pfizer CentreOne,” Francesca Russo, senior manager in charge of global media relations at Pfizer, said in an emailed statement to SeeNews late on Tuesday.
The plant will produce innovative medicines to treat rare diseases, which will be exported to 50 markets around the world, once operational.
The production facility will be equipped with high-tech technology and will measure almost 4,000 square meters and covering 11 hectares.
“Pfizer is the main one investing in the construction of the new plant, however SOBI has a purchasing agreement with Pfizer for the site, so SOBI is not making a direct investment but securing supply of the medicine Anakinra for the future,” Matt Tooth, Sobi's global communications director, said in a separate email to SeeNews sent on Monday.
Anakinra is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
“According to the speeches at the groundbreaking ceremony, the project will be operational by 2024 and running commercially by 2026,” he added.
($=0.953 euro)