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On Tuesday, the production hall of pharmaceutical packaging products manufacturer SCHOTT Hungary Kft. was inaugurated in Lukácsháza (western Hungary), with a HUF 28 billion (EUR 76 million) investment. The development, which will create 120 jobs, was supported by the Hungarian government with more than HUF 3.3 billion (EUR 9 million).
Krisztina Varju, Deputy State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in her inauguration speech that following the pandemic, the health industry has become one of the most important industries of our time. One of the guarantees of our future security is for Hungary to become independent in the production of the most important medical devices needed for defense, she stressed.
Since 2019, the value of medical device manufacturing has increased by almost two-thirds, she added. The Deputy State Secretary noted that SCHOTT Hungary Kft. has expanded its capacity with the newly implemented development by manufacturing prefillable sterile glass syringes.
Photo: SCHOTT Pharma/Oana Szekely
SCHOTT Pharma has so far only manufactured these products in Switzerland and has now set up a second production center in Lukácsháza.
“With an increasing number of drugs being stored in prefillable glass syringes – from GLP-1 drugs to critical vaccines and innovative biologics, the manufacturing beginning at this site today will continue to support major trends in the pharma industry,” said Andreas Reisse, CEO of SCHOTT Pharma. As evidenced by their growing demand in the healthcare industry, these high-quality prefillable glass syringes not only offer a stable, long-term storage solution for drugs, but also a safe and convenient delivery system for patients and clinicians.
Frank Heinricht, CEO of SCHOTT AG, said that with the new plant in Lukácsháza, they have doubled the production capacity they achieved with their Swiss plant.
Balázs Vizi, Managing Director of SCHOTT Hungary Kft., recalled that 30 years ago they started with 39 employees in Lukácsháza and today they have 700 employees. SCHOTT Hungary has been present in Lukácsháza since 1993, and the plant has been continuously expanding, quadrupling its area over the years to 26,000 square meters.
SCHOTT Pharma was established as a standalone company in 2022, through a carve-out from Schott AG. Its portfolio ranges from prefillable syringes, cartridges, vials, and ampoules to analytical, development, fill-and-finish, and regulatory services for pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, and CDMOs. SCHOTT Pharma’s Hungarian site, which was inaugurated in Lukácsháza today, builds on the company’s existing foundation and pharmaceutical production skillset in the area, which already plays an important role in supplying the global industry with drug containment systems today.
Via MTI, schott-pharma.com; Featured image: SCHOTT Pharma/Péter Benkő