Sandoz to build biologics plant in Slovenia

Sandoz has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build a new biologics production plant in Lendava, Slovenia. The company’s expected $400 million investment is the largest-ever international private-sector investment in the country.

The “state-of-the-art” site will enable Sandoz “to meet growing demand for our current and future biosimilars in the mid- to long-term,” noted Glenn Gerecke, Global Head of Sandoz Technical Operations. “Not only does the location has offer competitive costs [but it has] proximity to our existing European-based production and commercial operations.”

The new plant will support the growing biosimilars sector. Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor highlighted that biosimilars are “projected to grow double-digit annually over the next decade.”

Signing of the MOU “sets up Sandoz to expand patients’ access to the large number of biologics losing patent protection over the next few years,” commented Dominic Wake, Head of Market Access and Corporate Affairs at Sandoz.

Work on the biologics plant in Slovenia is set to begin this year. Full operations is provisionally planned for late 2026.

The company also recently announced an additional €50 million investment to expand its European-based antibiotics production network. This brings the total new investment commitment to the network in the past few years to €250 million.