Rentschler Fill Solutions celebrates the opening of the state-of-the-art pharmaceutical filling plant

- Inauguration of a new High Tech facility for aseptic filling and freeze-drying of pharmaceuticals
- Over 30 million euros investment volume and highly qualified jobs provide important impulses for the region
- Production under GMP conditions already operational for the European market

Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH, a service company (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, CDMO) and expert in aseptic filling, celebrates today the official inauguration of its new facility in Rankweil, Vorarlberg. A business breakfast and the ceremony with more than 200 participants – including State Governor Mag. Karlheinz Rüdisser, Mayor Ing. Martin Summer, the municipal councils of Rankweil, numerous customers, business partners, and representatives of neighboring companies as well as planners and executing companies of the construction project – provided a worthy framework to celebrate the successful launch of the new enterprise.

"Today is a great day for Rentschler Fill Solutions, and we want to thank our team, the local people, and all suppliers and business partners for this achievement," said Reinhold Elsässer, Managing Director of Rentschler Fill Solutions. "Together, we built a pharmaceutical company from the first spadeful to successful operational startup in record time. Now, we have the best starting position to support our customers in providing unique active ingredients to global markets. Only a few companies in our region possess comparable capabilities."

In August, Rentschler Fill Solutions already received the pharmaceutical manufacturing license and the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conformity certificate for the European market from the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES). From the groundbreaking in July 2016 to the completion of GMP certification, the new facility – technically well-equipped with the most modern infrastructure – was completed in a record time of only two years and offers an annual filling capacity of up to 3.5 million units.

For 2019, Rentschler Fill Solutions also aims for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In May 2018, the company announced an agreement to fill the injectable recombinant human enzyme Beta-Glucuronidase for its U.S. customer Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc. This biopharmaceutical active ingredient is manufactured for the treatment of patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) VII, a rare genetic disorder, for marketing in the USA.

"It is not enough to develop innovative medicines – the technical skills and resources for manufacturing and filling are also of central importance. Only in this way can the supply of patients with life-saving new drugs be ensured," added Dr. Margit Klotz, General Manager Operations. "Already now, Rentschler Fill Solutions employs 59 highly qualified staff, and we intend to increase our capacity to 100 employees over the next two years."

The new facility is conveniently located in Rankweil, Vorarlberg, Austria, and is surrounded by other highly innovative companies working on energy efficiency, renewable energies, and sustainability. As a company in the pharmaceutical industry, Rentschler Fill Solutions is new to the Vorarlberg region. During the business breakfast on Friday, numerous new contacts with representatives of neighboring companies and service providers were already established – an inspiring starting point for future business relationships, as noted by Vorarlberg State Governor Mag. Karlheinz Rüdisser. "Rentschler Fill Solutions is a valuable and high-quality addition to the economic location of Vorarlberg. There are many opportunities for collaboration with other companies, and numerous qualified jobs are being created. The entire region benefits from this," said the Regional Economic Minister.

"We at Rentschler Fill Solutions are very pleased to now officially commission our new state-of-the-art facility in Rankweil and hope to continue contributing to the positive development of the high-tech Vorarlberg region. Our main focus and entire commitment as a company is to provide highly effective and safe biopharmaceuticals for people who need regular medication," Elsässer added.

Rentschler Fill Solutions offers its customers filling services for pharmaceutical active ingredients on both clinical and commercial scales. Through the strategic partnership of Rentschler Fill Solutions, Rentschler Biopharma, and Leukocare, customers benefit from complete solutions – from gene to vial and from clinic to market.