Extension completed in just 15 months
Production volumes increased by 50 percent to meet rising demand for plasma products
Visual inspection, Packaging and Logistics capacities expanded
Expansion creates 160 new jobs and strengthens patient access to critical medicines
Octapharma, one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world, has opened the expanded facilities at its manufacturing site in Vienna. To meet rising demand for human plasma based medicines, and just 15 months after the ground-breaking ceremony, new production areas were opened in the presence of city authorities and representatives of the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry (PHARMIG) and Octapharma.
The family-owned Swiss-based company's first production site went into operation in Vienna in 1989. Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the site has gradually been expanded and transformed into one of the most modern fractionation plants worldwide. At the Octapharma Vienna site, plasma products for haemophilia, immunology, and intensive care - the use of which can improve or even save patients' lives - are manufactured for the global market. With an investment of 200 million euros and 160 new jobs, the additional facilities opened today are central to Octapharma’s growth plans as well as to the expansion programme of the Vienna site.
“The high demand for high-quality blood plasma products shows us how important it is for us to support the adequate and safe supply of these products in the interests of those affected around the world. Our long-term investment programme should also be seen in this light: Just in time for the 35th anniversary of our Vienna site, we can now officially open the centrepiece of our expansion, hosting expanded areas for Visual Inspection & Packaging and Logistics. This makes an important contribution for patients as well as to Austria as a production and pharmaceutical location,” says Barbara Rangetiner, General Manager of Octapharma Austria.
The global demand for plasma products continues to grow, as a study by the US market research company Fortune Business Insights1 shows. According to this, the international market for plasma fractionation - the extraction of proteins from human blood plasma, which are the basis for plasma products - is expected to grow from an estimated USD 35.2 billion in 2024 to USD 62.8 billion over the next eight years, corresponding to an annual growth rate of 7.5 percent.
This is partly driven by the global increase in the number of people with bleeding disorders, which rose2 from around 280,000 to more than 465,000 patients between 2013 and 2023.
Since the late 1980s, Octapharma has been producing high-quality human proteins from human plasma in Vienna's Favoriten district. These proteins are used in the treatment of chronic bleeding disorders, but also provide essential services in organ transplants and the care of accident victims. Most of these medicines produced at the Vienna site are exported abroad, and to over 115 countries with China (25%), the USA (15%), and Indonesia (4%) at the top of the list.
"At Octapharma, 12,000 people worldwide are committed to improving the lives of patients with new healthcare solutions. We can only succeed in this if we meet the growing demand and continue to increase our production capacities. With the expertise that has been available in Vienna for many years, we have the ideal basis for this,’ explains Olivier Clairotte, Chief Production Officer at Octapharma.
The new extension increases the space for Visual Inspection & Packaging and Supply Chain (logistics) from 2,800 to 6,300 square meters. In the future, almost three times as much space will be available for production and distribution processes. Care was also taken to anticipate additional space for further expansion steps.
With a total of 10 packaging lines and 10 sifting lines, the technical production capacity of injection vials is to be more than doubled to around 25 million units per year.
‘The new premises demonstrate the importance of ensuring the highest quality and safety standards at Octapharma and are also representative of the company's appreciation of Vienna as a location - because we are optimally equipped for further growth,’ emphasises Torsten Konrad, Head of Visual Inspection & Packaging at Octapharma Vienna.
Christian Wittmann, Head of Supply Chain at Octapharma Vienna, adds: ‘The sails have also been set for the future of logistics at Octapharma. Large-scale expansions will enable us to ship our important products around the world even faster and more flexibly in the future.’ A new warehouse logistics area with an additional 950 pallet spaces has also been built.
The importance of the Octapharma expansion for the site has also been confirmed by external parties.
On behalf of the district council for Vienna's 10th district, Favoriten district councillor Manuela Sachs emphasises: ‘Octapharma pitched its tents in Vienna Favoriten more than three decades ago and has been constantly expanding its activities ever since. The current expansion of the Octapharma plant impressively demonstrates how attractive Vienna Favoriten is as a business location, and the diverse growth prospects it offers.’
“Companies like Octapharma are an outstanding example of the economic and social contributions that pharmaceutical companies make. They create jobs, provide economic impetus and thus strengthen Austria's international competitiveness as a location for healthcare and research. At the same time, however, they are confronted with an unappreciative pricing policy, barriers to market access, and excessive regulations. This makes investments of this magnitude considerably more difficult at the location. If we want to maintain the industry's commitment in Austria in the long term, we need to create fair framework conditions and set the necessary course at a political level,” explains Alexander Herzog, Secretary General of PHARMIG, the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry Association.
"At Octapharma, 12,000 people worldwide are committed to improving the lives of patients with new healthcare solutions. We can only succeed in this if we meet the growing demand and continue to increase our production capacities."
Olivier Clairotte
Chief Production Officer, Octapharma
1. Fortune Business Insights (2024). Plasma Fractionation Market Report 2024-2032, Ref. 101614 (https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/plasma-fractionation-market-101614).
2. World Federation of Hemophilia. (2024). Report on the Annual Global Survey 2023 (https://www1.wfh.org/publications/files/pdf-2525.pdf).
