On 18 March 2011 Germany’s Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel,
and the Secretary of Commerce of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr Reiner
Haseloff, paid a visit to IDT Biologika. Taking a tour of the vaccine production and state-of-the-art final processing facilities, the chancellor was pleased by the performance capability of the company and the positive development it has shown since turning private in 1993.

IDT Biologika will continue to invest in order to further expand its capacities and expertise. By the end of 2012, €85m will flow into new high-tech production facilities and the company’s pharmaceutical infrastructure. In particular, investment will include a new deep freeze storage room, a filling system for vaccines, and several specialised storage facilities. The research labs will also be enlarged. This investment will help IDT Biologika create 160 new jobs in Dessau-
Roßlau.

Dr Ralf Pfirmann, managing director, highlighted the importance of these investment plans: “Our new facilities will allow us to offer biotech products on the international markets on a broader scale and of the utmost quality.”

Chancellor Merkel was visibly impressed at the end of the tour and summed up the factors which are making the company such a success: “technical expertise combined with being down-to-earth, hard-working, creative, and passionate about the work. This is what defines the site; what makes it strong. All I can say is that my hat’s off to you for your products and the scope of your service.”

The plans will be partly subsidised by €9m in funds from the federal and state joint task for the ‘Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure’. Dr Reiner Haseloff, Secretary of Commerce, handed over notification on Friday that the grant had been awarded.