This week in Marburg, Germany, CSL celebrated the opening of a new plasma fractionation facility, a $470 million project that took five years to construct.
Company leaders and local officials attended the opening in the university town, which is a growing hub for biotech innovation in Germany. In September, CSL invested in R&D in Marburg with the opening of a state-of-the-art research space for 500 employees.
CSL Behring, a business unit of CSL, makes medicines for rare and serious diseases using donated human plasma. With optimized process flows, modern technologies and automation, the new fractionation facility quadruples the current capacity. “Fractionation” is a process that separates plasma into albumin, immunoglobulin and other proteins.
Global demand has been growing steadily for plasma medicines, which doctors use to treat hemophilia, immune system problems, burns and other life-threatening medical conditions.
The Marburg construction project, called Phoenix, succeeded despite obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, company officials said.
“The Phoenix project is characterized by two components: Firstly, the state-of-the-art technology, but secondly, and more importantly for me, the great team that has made it possible to celebrate this milestone today,” said Michael Schroeder, Vice President, Site Leader and Managing Director at Marburg site.
In December, CSL Behring opened a sister facility for plasma fractionation in Australia, creating opportunities for cross-functional and cross-cultural development opportunities for employees.
