Boehringer Ingelheim inaugurates its new global centre for veterinary vaccine R&D in Lyon, France

Lyon, France, 12 October 2018 – Boehringer Ingelheim is today inaugurating its new global centre for biological research and development at its Lyon Porte-des-Alpes (LPA) location in Saint-Priest France, in the presence of Delphine Gény-Stephann, Secretary of State, attached to the Minister of Economy and Finance. With this 70 million euro investment, the German group signals its intention to reinforce its leading position in the veterinary vaccine market by bringing its R&D and biological production activities into the same centre of excellence.

Inauguration ceremony in
Lyon, France

“This investment addresses the economic, demographic and health concerns involved in preventing and controlling the spread of animal epidemics, some of which can be transmitted to humans, such as rabies and avian flu,” explains Nigel Swift, Global Head of Vaccines Research & Development at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.

This new 14,500 square meter building has four floors and required three years of planning and construction. More than 200 people work in this high-tech laboratory, designed to allow employees to pool expertise and to provide optimal and scalable work conditions suited to new environmental standards.

The inauguration of this biological R&D centre is the final phase in the transfer of the former Merial laboratories from Lyon’s Gerland district to the LPA site. “By bringing together R&D and production activities into the same location in Lyon Porte-des-Alpes, this site becomes a leading international centre for biological excellence. The teams will work more closely together with the added benefit of increased productivity, responsiveness and performance,” shares Erick Lelouche, President of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health France.

Through this center of excellence, Boehringer Ingelheim aims to accelerate its growth while remaining faithful to its core mission: creating value through innovation. Less than two years after acquiring Merial and one year after inaugurating its new French headquarters dedicated to animal health in the heart of the Lyon-Gerland Biodistrict, the German group also intends to position the Lyon metropolitan area at the centre of its international growth strategy, capitalising on this region’s history as the cradle of life sciences and immunology.

This strong commitment is illustrated by recent company decisions, including the announcement of a 65 million euro investment in a vaccine formulation and filling facility at this same LPA location (scheduled to be operational in spring 2020). This inauguration comes on the back of the announcement early this summer that the company will invest a record 200 million euros in a new biotechnology manufacturing facility for vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease and Bluetongue Virus (BTV) in the ZAC de Gaulnes joint development zone in Jonage, near Lyon. The ground-breaking is scheduled to take place this autumn with the project completion at the end of 2021.

Boehringer Ingelheim

Improving the health and quality of life of patients is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas: human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2017, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of nearly 18.1 billion euros. R&D expenditure, exceeding three billion euros, corresponded to 17.0 per cent of net sales.

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: https://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Business Unit

Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world. We are committed to creating animal wellbeing through our large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products and services. With net sales of 3.9 billion euros and around 10,000 employees worldwide, we are present in more than 150 markets. For more information click here.

About Lyon Porte-des-Alpes

Inaugurated in 1995 by Raymond Barre, the Lyon Porte-des-Alpes (LPA) site is the primary European  biological production hub for Boehringer Ingelheim’s Animal Health division. With the global biological R&D centre’s completion, more than 750 contributors are now employed at this location, producing 80 different antigens used to make 120 vaccines for all sorts of animal species. 30 billion vaccine doses are produced every year, with 80 percent of them exported to 140 countries.

Intended audiences

This press release is issued from our Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.