Robust Growth for Boehringer Ingelheim RCV
- Human Pharma business grows by seven percent
- Animal Health gains over eight percent
- Total sales reach EUR 897.5 million
April 17, 2019 – The research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna (RCV) continues to grow across all business areas: For the entire RCV region, total sales in the Prescription Medicines and Animal Health business areas rose by 7.2% to EUR 897.5 million (2017: EUR 837.5 million). The core business of Human Pharma grew by 7.0% to reach EUR 800.5 million (2017: EUR 747.9 million), while the Animal Health business increased by 8.3% to EUR 97.0 million (2017: EUR 89.6 million). Compared to 2017, which was significantly impacted by non-recurring effects, the operating performance* of Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co. KG fell by 12.26% to EUR 1,385.5 million in 2018 (2017: EUR 1,555.4 million).
“2018 was an outstanding year for Boehringer Ingelheim RCV. We generated over EUR 100 million in total sales in Austria for the first time. Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic closed the financial year with double-digit growth rates,” says Philipp von Lattorff, General Manager of Boehringer Ingelheim RCV.
More employees in Austria and in the region
The number of employees in the region rose by 5.8% to reach 3,494 (2017: 3,302), while the number in Austria increased from 1,689 in 2017 to 1,833, corresponding to 8.5% growth. New employees being recruited for a biopharmaceutical production plant currently under construction in Vienna are mainly responsible for this positive trend.
Core business of Human Pharma
Human Pharma, the largest business area, grew by over seven percent in 2018. The main drivers of this growth were the anticoagulant Pradaxa®, the diabetes medication Jardiance® and respiratory products Spiolto® and Ofev®. “In 2018, the strategic focus was on expanding digital activities and projects. Because reaching our customers virtually allows us to be more flexible and able to react more quickly to changes in the market, we intend to continue with this focal point in 2019,” Lattorff explains.
In Austria, sales rose by 9.5% to EUR 102.9 million (2017: EUR 94.0 million) with the primary contributors being Pradaxa®, Spiriva®and the range of diabetes products.
Growth driver Animal Health
The Animal Health business area showed outstanding performance, gaining 8.3% to reach EUR 97.0 million. The key drivers were the small animal and swine products and the bovine line.
The strongest sales were seen in the swine vaccine Ingelvac® CircoFLEX and, in the pet sector, the Nexgard® products for protecting dogs against ticks and fleas and Vaxxitek® in the field of poultry vaccines.
Planned expansion of biopharmaceutical products
In 2021, Vienna will become the Group’s only site to produce biopharmaceuticals using two different technologies: in the existing facility employing microbial systems (bacteria and yeasts) as well as the new facility using mammalian cells.
“We plan to recruit around 150 additional biopharma employees this year as part of our site expansion,” says Christian Eckermann, Head of Biopharma Austria.
Cancer research center in Vienna
Cancer research at Boehringer Ingelheim, which is based in Vienna, aims to redefine cancer as a curable illness. An intelligent combination of targeted oncology and immunotherapy should provide cancer patients the best therapeutic efficacy and allowing this vision to become a reality. “We are working on both approaches with several classes of active ingredients. One goal, for instance, is to unmask the tumor cells and, in doing so, to enable the immune system to fight the tumor. Last year, we succeeded in bringing several new substances to preclinical development,” says Darryl McConnell, Research Site Head at Boehringer Ingelheim RCV. The main indication areas of the projects are lung and gastrointestinal cancers.
With annual research expenditures of EUR 200 million, Boehringer Ingelheim is the most research-intensive pharmaceutical company in Austria.
About Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna
The Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna is responsible for the Boehringer Ingelheim business with prescription medications and veterinary medicines in Austria as well as in more than 30 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Switzerland and Israel. In addition, all of the clinical research in the region is managed from Vienna. Vienna is the main center of cancer research as well as where the Group’s biopharmaceutical research, development and production takes place. Boehringer Ingelheim also engages in basic research at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna.
* Operating performance comprises net sales, other operating income and balance sheet change. This figure also includes sales to affiliated companies, including sales from the biopharma business in Vienna, and was significantly impacted in 2017 by non-recurring effects.