SCHOTT Pharma, a pioneer in drug containment and delivery solutions, is investing more than €100m in its existing site in Lukácsháza, Hungary, to expand its capacity for sterile ready-to-use (RTU) cartridges. Following the opening of a new facility for prefillable glass syringes at the site in 2024, the company has now broken ground for another facility that will add further manufacturing capacity for high-value solutions (HVS).

The move aligns with the company’s expansion strategy to increase its share of these high-margin products. “To meet growing demand, we are expanding our capabilities and presence in the diabetes and obesity fields. That is why we are investing more than 100 million euros in our plant in Hungary,” said Andreas Reisse, CEO of SCHOTT Pharma.

RTU cartridges are used to store biologics, GLP-1 drugs, insulin, or hormone therapies to treat diabetes, obesity, or other immunological diseases. The new facility will bring over 100 additional jobs to the region.

Symbolic start of construction: L to R Dr István Orbán, director general of Vas County Government Office, Dominique Bauert, head of Strategic Business Field Sterile Solutions at SCHOTT Pharma, Péter Ágh, Hungarian State Secretary for Construction and Transport, Eva Szabó, site manager Lukácsháza, Dr Torsten Derr, CEO SCHOTT AG, Andreas Reisse, CEO SCHOTT Pharma, István Joó, Government Commissioner and CEO Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), Fabian Stöcker, head of Business Segment Drug Containment Solutions at SCHOTT Pharma, and János Virág, Mayor of Lukácsháza bury time capsule at groundbreaking event.

Today, SCHOTT Pharma’s Lukácsháza site already plays an important role in supplying the global industry with drug containment solutions and delivery systems. In June 2024, the company opened a new state-of-the-art facility at the site for high-quality prefillable glass syringes, which are widely used to store GLP-1 therapies, critical vaccines, and biologics. Since then, with 120 new employees on board, production has started, and further production capacity has been added.

With RTU cartridges, the company is now looking to add additional manufacturing capacity for high-value solutions to the site, which has sufficient space to support the company’s growth strategy. “We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its support of these two expansion projects. Lukácsháza is not only an important location for ensuring supply security to customers in the region but also makes an important contribution to SCHOTT Pharma’s global growth strategy,” says Eva Szabó, site manager, Lukácsháza.

Building on its strong existing foundation and capabilities, the high-tech RTU cartridge manufacturing facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. In addition, an advanced washing line and a new steam sterilisation process for cartridges will reduce environmental impact.

Manufacturing will be fully integrated and automated with minimal manual intervention, providing the highest quality sterile products to the market. Following St. Gallen, Switzerland, Lukácsháza will be the second SCHOTT Pharma site to manufacture sterile cartridges.