AstraZeneca Commits $500 Million To French Operations

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--U.K. pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is planning to invest more than $500 million over five years in its French research and manufacturing operations.

This investment will be spent across five areas according to a company presentation and includes industrial development at its main Dunkirk site, strengthening its R&D strategy in France, the establishment of a European Innovation Hub in Paris, the establishment of a partnership strategy with L'Ascenseur for access to employment for young people, as well as the limitation of its environmental footprint. This investment will be spread over five years and will lead to the creation nearly 150 jobs. AstraZeneca closed out 2018 with a 4% boost in product sales to $21 billion. Industrial Info is tracking AstraZeneca projects around the world worth $1.85 billion.

"This investment in France will allow us to remain agile in meeting the needs of patients and the constantly changing scientific and technological environment," explained Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca. "It will help strengthen scientific collaborations in France on three therapeutic areas (Oncology, diseases respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases), to enable our Dunkirk global production site to support its level of excellence and accelerate technological and digital innovation throughout the patient journey through a new European Innovation Hub."

The Dunkirk production site, which is entirely dedicated to development, manufacturing and supply of inhalers for the treatment of asthma and COPD1, will get $230 million to construct an autonomous assembly line and two assembly and packaging lines. There will also be some modernisation of existing equipment. The company said that the upcoming launch of new products based on these technologies as well as the rapid development of world sales, in China in particular, "should allow solid growth in production in the coming years". Up to 100 jobs will be created. AstraZeneca will also continue to support its site in Reims, which it sold in 2017 but purchased back at the end of last year. Employing 130 people at the Reims site in 2019, the company packaged 25 million boxes of medication through its seven automated lines and distributed 22 million boxes of medicines in France and 19 million internationally.

A $275 million investment will be made in a long-term partnership approach to R&D in France focusing on three main therapeutic areas; Oncology / CardioVascular, Renal and Metabolism / Respiratory.

In related news, AstraZeneca can expect a windfall of $350 million following its sale of the global commercial rights of Inderal, Tenormin, Tenoretic, Zestril and Zestoretic to Atnahs Pharma. The agreement excludes the rights in the U.S. and India, which were previously divested, and in Japan, which will be retained by AstraZeneca. The medicines, used primarily to treat hypertension, have lost their patent protection globally.

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