Takeda inaugurated its solid dosage plant in Oranienburg, Germany, in June 2017. Credit: Takeda Pharma.
Takeda’s production facility added 180 jobs at the Oranienburg site. Credit: Tim Schulz.
Artist’s rendering of Takeda’s Oranienburg production site. Credit: Takeda Pharma.

Japan-based drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has inaugurated a pharmaceutical production facility at its existing site in Oranienburg, Germany.

Built in June 2017, commercial operations at the facility are expected to begin by the end of 2017.

With the addition of the facility, the company aims to increase the Oranienburg site’s production capacity from 6.2 billion to around 10 billion tablets and capsules a year.

The plant will also allow Takeda to advance its technologies and ensure the timely delivery of its pharmaceutical products to patients and healthcare providers worldwide.

Construction and financing of the Takeda facility in Oranienburg

Takeda unveiled its plans to build a pharmaceutical production facility at the Oranienburg site in April 2014.

The plant is being developed as part of the company’s plan to transfer the production of solid products from its plant in Osaka, Japan, to its facilities in Oranienburg and Hikari, Japan.

Construction of the facility at Oranienburg began in August 2014, costing $114.6m and increasing the number of employees at the plant from 600 to around 780.

The German Federal Government and the state of Brandenburg each provided $26.3m in subsidies to Takeda for its expansion.

Details of Takeda’s Oranienburg production facility

Located 30km north-west of Berlin, Germany, Takeda’s manufacturing plant has a 21,400m² total floor space.

“The plant is being developed as part of the company’s plan to transfer the production of solid products from its plant in Osaka, Japan, to facilities in Oranienburg and Hikari, Japan.”

It incorporates a production line for the development and manufacture of high-quality drugs in solid dosage formulations, including pills and capsules. The plant also features new technological and storage facilities.

Medicines to be produced at the new building will be used to treat a range of diseases in different therapeutic areas, including gastroenterology, the central nervous system and cardiovascular segments.

Details of Takeda’s Oranienburg site expansion

The Oranienburg production facility was opened in 1885. In September 2011, Takeda took ownership of the site by acquiring Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Nycomed.

The site houses two state-of-the-art production plants, covering a total area of 12,900m². Takeda made significant investments at the site to expand its global manufacturing network and strengthen its presence in the German pharmaceutical market.

Employees at the site carry out research, development, manufacturing, packaging and sales for 145 different solid dosage drugs, including Pantoprazole, Magnyl and Trintellix. An estimated 6.2 billion tablets and capsules are produced at the facility for export to end markets in more than 100 countries.

Takeda also develops and manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) at the Oranienburg plant.

Marketing commentary on Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

Takeda is engaged in research and development (R&D) focused on drugs for oncology, gastroenterology and the central nervous system, as well as vaccines.

Founded in Osaka in 1781, the company has a presence in more than 70 countries and regions worldwide. It owns 23 production sites across 16 countries and employs 30,000 people in total.