Haupt Pharma Amareg GmbH, a part of one of Europe’s leading companies for pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing, celebrates its 10th anniversary today with a grand ceremony at the company’s premises. The site has a long tradition and a solid performance in the manufacturing pharmaceuticals and expects further expansion of production and personnel in the future.
The origins of Haupt Pharma Amareg date back to 1874. At that time, the company was founded under the name ‘Salizylsäurefabrik Dr. Friedrich von Heyden’, which settled in Regensburg in the 1950s. After several changes of ownership, the company Amareg (Amareg = Arzneimittel aus Regensburg [= Medicines from Regensburg]) was established in 2003 on the premises of the company in Regensburg. In 2008, the company merged with Haupt Pharma AG and has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Haupt Pharma Group since that time.
Current areas of work
"Today, we produce and package mainly specialty products from the areas of cancer drugs and immunosuppressants1 for over 70 national and international clients," explained Oliver Schmied, managing director of the plant in Regensburg.
"Another focus is the production of hormone preparations. We also produce conventional products, such as creams and tablets." In addition, the company assists its clients in the development of pharmaceutical formulations.
Sales development and look to the future
Since its founding, sales and staff of the company have grown steadily: between 2003 and 2012, the company’s sales have increased by €11.0 million to €35.1 million. The number of employees has tripled between 2003 and 2013 from 117 to now 333. Haupt Pharma Amareg is focused on a clear growth strategy – in particular in the area of highly potent specialty drugs.
"Over the next three years, revenue in this area is expected to double. Investments of €15 to €20 million are available to support this. In a first step, we will build a new additional warehouse, and the areas of packaging and bulk production will be expanded. We will also create about 30 additional jobs in the coming months, especially in the areas of production, packaging and in the analytical laboratories", said Oliver Schmied.
Identification with the workplace through job training
Since 2003, a total of 8 chemical laboratory technicians, 13 industrial managers and 36 pharmaceutical production technicians have completed their training at Haupt Pharma Amareg GmbH. "Training is very important for us and this is paying off for the entire group. Because young employees are familiar with the internal operations from the beginning and identify with the company," according to Franz Dengler, chairman of the works council, who has been supporting the training since the company was founded.
"We are proud that since 2006 almost no year has passed without an award for successful training of pharmaceutical production technicians", Oliver Schmied was pleased to report. In 2010, Haupt Pharma Amareg was honored by the City of Regensburg as the best regional company and also received the city’s award for provider of industrial training in 2012.
Social responsibility
Last December, the Haupt Pharma Group took part in the ‘Together against Leukemia’ campaign of the German Bone Marrow Donor Center (Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH, or DKMS). The Amareg site reached a very high participation rate of nearly 30 percent during this donor drive. With this campaign, the group wants to assume part of the social responsibility for leukemia patients and draw attention to the importance of bone marrow donation. In addition to the successful production of cancer drugs, the campaign was an opportunity for employees to contribute personally to saving lives of cancer patients.
Haupt Pharma AG
With nine production sites in Germany, Italy, France and Japan, and a sales office in the US, Haupt Pharma is one of the leading contract developers and manufacturers for pharmaceutical products in Europe today. The company was founded in Berlin in 1937 and covers large parts of the value chain from pharmaceutical development, materials procurement, commercial production and packaging to logistics and distribution. Its product portfolio includes pharmaceuticals, veterinary medicinal products, dietary supplements and cosmetics.
Since 2000, Haupt Pharma AG has been the holding company of the group. In 2013, the group expects a turnover of approximately €295 million. Haupt Pharma has about 2,000 employees worldwide.