Fontenay site offers custom production with jobs for 485 people.
Roche’s new strategy is to convert its pharmaceutical production site at Fontenay-sous-Bois in France into an autonomous subsidiary, Cenexi®, dedicated to third party manufacturing.
With effect from 1st January 2004, Cenexi opened up its facilities to other pharmaceutical players, including customers supplying own-label products, while continuing to make products for its parent company.
Cenexi has an annual capacity of 200 million ampoules for parenterals, 10 million bottles of syrup and 1,000 tonnes of tablets. The inclusion of sterile ampoules for injection in the portfolio of production services at Cenexi is critical as 30 million units constitutes a break-even point for many European sites.
The new contractual manufacturing organisation (CMO) has expertise in prescription and OTC products and a packaging capacity of 120 million cartons. Over the past 5-years, the company has invested 65m Euros to improve the packaging area and install computer-controlled tablet-pressing machines.
As one of Roche’s biggest sites in Europe 485 employees work at Cenexi, Fontenay, where currently 75% of its output is exported worldwide. In addition to manufacturing operations, Cenexi is offering a range of outsourcing services including analytical development, stability studies and product registration.
At present, third parties take about 10% of Cenexi’s production at present. Cenexi’s annual revenue target is about 90 million Euros within five years. The Cenexi site could become a leading European CMO for custom production with scope for further expansion and acquisitions in future.
Keywords : Roche Cenexi® France Fontenay-sous-Bois Site spin-out Contract manufacturing CMO Outsourcing production Injectable ampoules Tablets Own-label products OTC Ethicals Analaytical develoment Product registration services
