Octapharma
| Octapharma AG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1983 |
| Seat | Lachen (Canton Schwyz), Switzerland |
| management |
Wolfgang Marguerre ( CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors ) |
| Number of employees | 9,307 (2019) |
| sales | EUR 2.2 billion (2019) |
| Branch | Pharma / biotechnology |
| Website | www.octapharma.com |
The Octapharma AG is a research and production pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Lachen , Switzerland.
Octapharma specializes in the development, production and distribution of drugs for the treatment of various blood clotting disorders . They are based on human proteins that are produced from blood plasma , purified or recombinantly in a human cell line. The owner-managed company, which was founded in Geneva in 1982 under the name Lecarsa SA, employed over 8,300 people in 31 branches in 2018. The drugs are used in over 115 countries. Worldwide sales of 1.8 billion euros will be generated in 2018.
Research and Development
The research and development department is located in Vienna , Frankfurt aM , Berlin and Heidelberg . In addition to the focus on the further and new development of drugs from blood plasma, work is also continuing on the genetic engineering production of recombinant proteins using a human cell line. The main areas of indication are coagulation , immunotherapy and intensive care medicine .
The current research and development projects in March 2015 include both recombinant proteins and proteins isolated from blood plasma. Among the recombinant proteins include a activated clotting factor VII , a granulocyte factor with extended half-life and a hepatocyte growth factor (r-HGF), to information produced from blood plasma proteins include a fibrinogen , immunoglobulins of the next generation, lyophilized plasma, a C1-inhibitor and an α 1 antitrypsin .
Products
The company manufactures drugs for other conditions in the areas of coagulation ( hemophilia A and B, von Willebrand's disease ), immunology ( antibody deficiency , rhesus prophylaxis , various autoimmune diseases ) and intensive care ( thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura , hypovolemia , DIC and other complex coagulation disorders) here. The plasma preparations are fractionated in four production facilities in Vienna, Stockholm, Lingolsheim and Springe .
In July 2014, the first recombinant product made in a human cell line (a coagulation factor VIII ) was approved in Europe.
Octapharma in Germany
In Germany, Octapharma has branches in Langenfeld / Rhineland and Dessau, which are responsible for sales and distribution. Production (Springe) and research and development (Frankfurt, Berlin, Heidelberg) are located at other locations. In 2012 Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals GmbH moved from Munich to the new building in the technology park in Heidelberg. Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals specializes in the development of human-identical proteins that are obtained from human cell lines.
In 1993 there were allegations of bribery in the blood product trade, and Octapharma was mentioned along with a number of other companies.
The German Society for Human Plasma, which operates blood plasma donation facilities in ten cities, has been part of Octapharma AG since 2006. In November 2014, the name was changed and has been called Octapharma Plasma GmbH since then.
criticism
According to a report by French-speaking Swiss journalists Marie Maurisse and François Pilet broadcast on March 1, 2017, Octapharma operates blood donation centers in the US that target the unemployed and low-income earners. The compensation paid for this could hardly be differentiated from paid plasma donations. The Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung accuses the Arte report of a poorly founded and one-sided research because the actual structure of the donor centers was not shown and other market participants were hidden.
literature
- Octapharma AG - Annual Reports.
- Egmont R. Koch , Irene Meichsner : Bad blood. The story of a medical scandal . Updated and expanded new edition, with a foreword by Horst Seehofer . Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 1993, ISBN 3-455-10312-X .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual report 2018 https://www.octapharma.com/news/press-release/2020/octapharma-group-delivered-strong-growth-in-both-sales-and-operating-income-in-2019/
- ↑ Annual report 2018 https://www.octapharma.com/news/press-release/2020/octapharma-group-delivered-strong-growth-in-both-sales-and-operating-income-in-2019/
- ↑ transkript.de: Octapharma Biopharmaceuticals is investing 20 million euros in Heidelberg. ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on February 16, 2010.
- ↑ And then into the sewer . In: Der Spiegel . No. 45 , 1993 ( online ).
- ↑ Reply to the article: And then into the sewer. The mirror 45/1993. In: Der Spiegel. 1/1994.
- ↑ The business of blood. Swiss Radio and Television SRF, accessed on March 2, 2017 (Swiss Standard German).
- ↑ Bad blood. Arte documentation criticizes Octapharma business practices (plus video) . In: Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung . March 30, 2017 ( rnz.de ).
Coordinates: 47 ° 11 '29.4 " N , 8 ° 51' 15.1" E ; CH1903: 707,273 / 227695