The Villars-sur-Glâne premises of CordenPharma has played a formative role in the development of Fribourg’s pharmaceutical industry.

CordenPharma is the latest occupant of a landmark site for the canton of Fribourg’s pharmaceutical sector. The major structural changes it has undergone over the decades have enabled the business location to substantially expand its mission and reach.

It began in 1966 with Coopers, a cooperative founded by a group of pharmacists to pool the procurement and manufacture of pharmaceuticals in Switzerland. Some 11 years later, it was acquired by Galenica during the Swiss pharmaceutical group’s expansion drive. As Yvan Liard, Managing Director of CordenPharma, points out, “These events heralded the emergence of the pharma industry in Fribourg. Coopers and Galenica were ahead of the pack by several decades, paving the way for other players to settle in the canton during the 1990s.”

The creation of Vifor Pharma in 2008 boosted production capacity at the Villars-sur-Glâne site. Galenica focused on the distribution side of the business. In 2012, the facility, which primarily made products for the domestic market, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification. This opened the doors to North America.

A major turning point in the site’s history occurred in 2017 with the demerger of Galenica and Vifor Pharma. From then on, activities at the site concentrated on the manufacture of prescription drugs destined for the international market. “In 2008, 85% of our production output was sold domestically. Today, the same share is exported to the European Union, the United States, China and Russia.” This transformation process culminated with CordenPharma’s acquisition of the site in February 2022. It was a move that allowed the company to position itself as a major international CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization), “We have gone from being a cost center to a profit center. This shift has completely reshaped our internal dynamics and our approach to the market,” Liard adds.

A constellation of companies

CordenPharma is at the epicenter of a dynamic pharmaceutical ecosystem. As well as leasing part of its premises to CSL Vifor, which was created in 2022 following CSL’s takeover of Vifor Pharma, its close neighbors include Verfora, a Galenica subsidiary established in 2017 following the Vifor-Galenica demerger, and the Swiss affiliate of OM Pharma, formerly part of Vifor. All still do business with CordenPharma. “Many of my former colleagues are now my customers,” the managing director notes with a smile.

This constellation of companies is proof of Fribourg’s thriving pharmaceutical sector and the industry’s adaptability. In 2021, CordenPharma opened a new modular production plant, which has consolidated its market position and its profile as a specialist manufacturer of solid and liquid dosage forms (see FNF 2021). The managing director is delighted with the new addition. “This facility means that we can increase production, integrate new technologies and continue to build on our existing areas of expertise. It opens up so many possibilities.”