Novartis invests 63 million euros in its Barcelona plant and converts it into a European antibiotics production centre

The Swiss group Novartis, one of the world leaders in biomedical innovation in cardiology, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, ophthalmology and respiratory areas, will invest 77.4 million euros to expand its production activity in Spain. Of the total investment, 63 million will go to the Barcelona plant.

This centre will increase its production capacity by 150% and will become one of the group’s two antibiotic production hubs for the whole of Spain. This increase in production will generate some 84 new jobs.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

According to Novartis, an investment of close to 100 million euros in R&D&I projects facilitated 287 clinical trials in Spain, involving 7,753 patients.

Marie France Tschudin, global president of the innovative medicines division, defended to the minister and head of the Moncloa economy the need for collaboration between companies and public health systems in order to improve healthcare and thus guarantee patients’ access to the most innovative treatments.

Tschudin stressed that the Swiss company will seek ways of collaborating with the public health system in the field of cardiovascular disease, which has the highest mortality rate.