The investment is intended for the expansion of production capacity, expansion of cold storage options and expansion of packaging processes
Pfizer plans to invest more than €1.2bn in its Puurs production facility in Belgium. (Credit: Pfizer)
American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has unveiled its plans to invest more than €1.2bn in its Puurs production facility in Belgium over the next three years.
According to the firm, the site’s largest investment is intended to expand the firm’s manufacturing capacity to finalise and bottle doses of drug substances in Europe. The investment will be also used for the expansion of production capacity, expansion of cold storage options and expansion of packaging processes.
Pfizer said that the expansion project will generate an additional 250 jobs and have a positive impact on its network of local, national and international suppliers.
Under the investment plans, a new Isolator Facility Center (IFC) will be constructed and outfitted which will have two advanced production modules for increased filling capacity.
Additionally, Pfizer Puurs is constructing a Flexible Freezer Warehouse, which is made up of two distinct freezer modules with independent temperature control for the best possible cold storage.
The Center for Secondary Packaging at the location is also undergoing yet another large-scale expansion. The packaging centre will now have 16 extra packaging cabins to boost capacity, the US-based pharmaceutical firm added.
Pfizer chief global supply officer EVP Mike McDermott said: “Our site in Puurs has played an incredibly important role in the Pfizer Global Supply network for many years. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, this importance has only increased.
“After all, Pfizer Puurs played a crucial role in the production of our Covid-19 vaccine, directly supporting our efforts to fight Covid-19 worldwide.
“I am very pleased that with this investment we can further support the production of vaccines and medicines and strengthen our pipeline. At the same time, we recognize the importance of the site in the production of groundbreaking medicines that change the lives of patients.”
The Belgian Pfizer site is known for the aseptic production and packaging of injectable drugs and vaccines. These medical products are then sold in about 170 markets globally.
The Puurs facility played a key role in the development and manufacturing of the Covid-19 vaccination shots that Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech developed.