Biochemie made a $41m investment in a production plant in Frankfurt for the manufacture of an intermediate known as 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA).
7-ACA is a key component of cefalosporin-antibiotics, one of the most important treatments for bacterial infections. The facility was planned by Life Sciences Meissner+Wurst (LSMW).
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Located at the Industrial Park Frankfurt-Hochst, the plant utilised an enzymatic splitting and cleaning process to produce high-quality, cost-effective 7-ACA in quantities exceeding 400t a year.
The plant became operational at the end of 2000. Its output complemented production in Frankfurt and Kundl, which produces both bulk active and finished dosage forms of sterile cefalosporins.
Now operating under the name Sandoz, Biochemie is part of Novartis Group, a world-leading manufacturer of antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins and biotechnological active ingredients. The company is a fully integrated supplier of a broad range of cefalosporin products and has developed and manufactured advanced cefalosporin intermediates. It also owns a number of process patents for cutting-edge technology.
Biochemie supplies 25% of global demand for the intermediate 7-ACA. Demand rose by 9% in 1999 due to increased consumption of several cephalosporins for which patents are expiring, and increased demand from China. Demand is expected to reach 2,000 tonnes/year by the year 2000.
Cephalosporin-antibiotics plant
LSMW Stuttgart is a 50:50 joint venture (JV) of Jenoptik’s subsidiary M+W Zander, Stuttgart/Nurnberg, and Day & Zimmermann International (US). It was awarded a contract to design and commission the Frankfurt plant. The contract includes the design, management of works, validation and procurement of equipment.
