Photo : Vifor Pharma will officially open its new production unit in January 2022. The facility – shown here while under construction – will be fully operational by 2023.

Our new facility is the result of incredible teamwork between Vifor Pharma, the Biofactory Competence Center (BCC) and the Fribourg Development Agency.” Yvan Liard, Director of the Fribourg Vifor Pharma’s facility in Fribourg, can barely believe how well the pharmaceutical company’s ambitious expansion project went, “We are so grateful to the fantastic partnership we have had the privilege to enjoy over the last two years. Of course, we already had the existing infrastructure and valuable expertise on site, but the unequivocal support of the local authorities was a major factor behind our decision to expand our Fribourg operations.”

Vifor Pharma, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of iron deficiency and kidney disease medications, was able to tap into the technical expertise of the BCC. “Our new plant will allow us to customize our production lines by drug type. It will be entirely modular and incredibly agile. The BCC is the brains behind this extremely modular design,” notes the boss of Vifor Pharma.

Most of production destined for export

The new production unit will allow Vifor Pharma to meet growing international demand. “Most of our production is destined for export, mainly to the European Union and the USA. But new countries have recently come on board, including Brazil, South Korea, Turkey and Russia. We also have plans to break into the Chinese market”, adds Liard.

The Vifor Pharma Group is listed on the Swiss stock exchange and employs around 2,400 people worldwide. About half of its workforce is based in Switzerland. In 2020, the company had a turnover of CHF 1.71 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of CHF 576 million.