Dive Brief:
- Roche will sell its pharmaceutical production plant in Leganes, Spain to the contract manufacturer Famar as part of a broader restructuring plan which will see three other sites worldwide closed down. The deal with Famar is expected to close next month.
- In November 2015, Roche announced it would close sites in Ireland, Italy, the U.S, and Spain (the Leganes site) to save 1.6 billion Swiss francs in non-core restructuring costs.
- For Famar, acquiring the the FDA-certified facility is an opportunity to increase access to the U.S. market. The company plans to have another site in Canada capable of supplying the U.S. by early 2017.
Dive Insight:
When Roche first announced the closures, it simultaneously unveiled plans to invest 300 million Swiss francs into a new facility at Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, which is nearer to company headquarters in Basel. Beyond reducing costs, Roche's plan is intended to upgrade its small molecule manufacturing network for new production techniques and lower volumes.
At the time, Roche said it would seek to divest the four facilities in order to minimize job losses. Last month, however, the company said it would move ahead with closing its Clarecastle, Ireland plant even without a buyer lined up.
In addition to agreeing to buy the Leganes site, Famar also said it had signed a long-term manufacturing agreement to supply Roche with the products currently manufactured at Leganes, mostly solid dosage forms with high-potency APIs.
Famar has an existing network of 11 manufacturing facilities spread across Europe.