Modern vaccine research with a longstanding tradition

IDT Biologika from Saxony-Anhalt continues its journey of international growth

Vaccinations are among the most important and successful strategies for preventing dangerous infectious diseases. One company that has been developing and marketing innovative products and services for sustaining the health of humans and animals in this tradition for the past 95 years is IDT Biologika. This medium-sized business, which currently has 1,600 employees and recorded an annual turnover of 201.5 million Euros in 2015, has helped the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt to develop into an internationally acclaimed centre for biopharmaceutical knowledge. With new cooperation partners on its side, the company IDT Biologika is now well on course for globalisation.

“We want to use our strong presence at the BIO International in San Francisco, which is being supported by the Investment and Marketing Corporation Saxony-Anhalt, to expand and consolidate our market position at the international level", explained Dr. Ralf Pfirmann, CEO of IDT Biologika. On the path to the globalisation of its business, IDT Biologika will continue to rely heavily on innovations in research, development and manufacturing processes, as well as the personal commitment of all its employees.”

The history of the company from Saxony-Anhalt dates back to the year 1921, when a Bacteriological Institute was founded in Dessau. The institute was dedicated to fighting pandemic diseases – especially tuberculosis. Just a few years after its foundation, the first human and veterinary vaccines were developed at the institute, including vaccines against erysipelas, tetanus and diphtheria. After the production facilities were almost completely destroyed in World War Two, their reconstruction and conversion took place in the form of a state-owned corporation (VEB) that specialised on animal vaccines. Four years after the reunification of Germany, entrepreneur Hartmut Klocke led the way in converting the organisation situated in Dessau-Tornau into a private company (GmbH) which then had 130 employees. Thanks to public and private investments, IDT Biologika – as the company is now known – achieved rapid growth.

It now counts more than 1,600 employees. Its principal location is the BioPharmaPark in Dessau-Roßlau, it has a branch for research and production in Greifswald. In Denmark, and in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Canada and China, IDT Biologika has sales offices for the area of veterinary medicine. In the USA, IDT manufactures vaccines for clinical phases, while in Canada, stock vaccines for livestock are manufactured in the IDT subsidiary Gallant Custom Laboratories.

In the area of animal health, IDT Biologika has now developed and manufactured more than 50 animal health products. These include vaccines against influenza and against oedema disease, a frequent disease in weaning piglets, as well as new medicines to improve the blood circulation in tissues, and medicines against parasites that can transmit diseases to dogs and cats.

Along with animal health, IDT has established itself as a globally-recognised company in the area of contract manufacturing. It develops and produces vaccines for international customers and fills and packages sterile pharmaceuticals in liquid form. For this purpose, two new, ultra-modern production complexes have been constructed on a total area of around 6,000 square meters. With these new facilities it is possible to package and ship up to 60 million injection bottles per year – providing the best conditions for the further expansion of the pharmaceutical company.

Author: Uwe Seidenfaden