OREANDA-NEWS. The history of the site dates back to 1849, when it was founded by Heinrich Mack. Pfizer took over this solid dosage form plant in Illertissen as part of the Heinrich Mack acquisition in 1971. The site is in the forefront of pharmaceutical manufacturing technology and has benefited from significant capital investments over that past decades. As a result, this plant is one of the most advanced pharmaceutical solid forms production sites in the world with special focus on high containment manufacturing capabilities. In 2008 it received the prestigious 'Facility of the Year' award from the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).

All employees of the site were transferred from Pfizer to R-Pharm Group, retaining the terms and conditions of their current employment contracts. R-Pharm guarantees preservation of jobs and conditions during a three-year period after completion of the deal. Today the plant employs about 400 people. The Illertissen site will continue to contract manufacture drug product for Pfizer until the end of 2018 while simultaneously launching R-Pharm's own drugs once the technology transfer is completed and regulatory approvals are received.

"R-Pharm currently operates in the Russian Federation, former USSR countries, Japan, the US and Turkey. The acquisition of the production facility in Germany is the next step in the implementation of our strategy to build an international pharmaceutical company," said Alexey Repik, Chairman of the Board of R-Pharm Group. "This new asset will allow R-Pharm to accelerate its expansion to European markets, offering its own innovative drugs and licensed products."