New kilo laboratory for R&D
Pharmaceuticals producer Boehringer Ingelheim has recently officially opened a new kilo laboratory at its company site in Biberach. The laboratory, which cost 26 million euros to construct, produces pharmaceutically active substances for use in pharmaceutical development, toxicity testing and the early clinical development of new drugs.
Over 75 per cent of Boehringer Ingelheim’s worldwide development projects are coordinated in Biberach. The new kilo laboratory is a special interface between research and development and was established to cover the constantly growing demand for substances required for the research and development of new pharmaceuticals.
Development requires huge amounts of substances
Inside the new kilo laboratory (Photo: Boehringer Ingelheim)
While early drug research phases only require a few milligrams of a particular molecule for high-throughput screening, quantities of up to tens or hundreds of kilograms are required for non-clinical and pharmaceutical investigations during the development phase.
“Approximately 26 million euros have been invested in the project, covering the costs of construction of the 3,750-square-metre building which will house around 35 employees, and also including the installation of state-of-the-art technologies, expanded reactor capacities and clearly separated areas as required by international production and laboratory standards,” said Dr. Wolfgang Baiker, Managing Director of Boehringer Ingelheim Deutschland GmbH, Division Development.
Source: Boehringer Ingelheim press release - 14 November 2008 (P, wp, 28 November 2008)