Tuesday, 24. April 2018
The pharmaceuticals company intends to use this takeover to continue expanding its herd-specific vaccine business
IDT Biologika continues to expand its business with herd-specific vaccines. With the acquisition of “Dr. Felgenträger & Co. Öko-chem. und Pharma GmbH” – a company based at the BioPharmaPark – the vaccine specialist is planning to expand and extend the segment for the manufacture of herd-specific vaccines. The agreement on the takeover of Dr. Felgenträger at the Dessau-Roßlau location was signed at the end of March.
“Dr. Felgenträger has vast experience of almost thirty years in the herd-specific vaccine business. The acquisition therefore represents a key addition to the IDT Biologika business. Both companies can now benefit from their respective strengths and contribute their many years of market experience in differing niche sectors,” explains managing director Andreas Kastenbauer. He added that, with this purchase, IDT has gained not only additional market and product expertise but also a competitor in the field of autogenous vaccines – the term used by specialists for vaccines produced specifically for a particular herd.
“The sector is experiencing strong growth,” adds Dr. Christian Wirth, second managing director and head of the animal health unit at IDT Biologika. With a view to maintaining our ability to meet demand for herd-specific vaccines in the medium term and securing the corresponding level of sales, the only alternative to purchasing additional production capacities would have been to build expensive new facilities. Now, the newly acquired production capacities can be used to bundle activities in this business segment and to further develop the business with herd-specific vaccines. “Therefore, the acquisition is a significant step that constitutes an important part of our animal health operations, today and in the future,” continues Dr. Christian Wirth. Human vaccines, the second pillar of Felgenträger’s operations, but one which is not a strategic fit for IDT Biologika’s business, is to be sold. “The employees in this business segment should have no concerns about job losses, however. They will most certainly be retained,” assures Dr. Wirth.
This is not the first time in recent years that IDT Biologika has expanded its global network for the manufacture of herd-specific vaccines for animal breeders as part of its globalization strategy. Last year, the pharmaceuticals company acquired Ridgeway Biologicals, a UK-based specialist company. In 2015, IDT took over Gallant Custom Laboratories, a manufacturer of herd-specific vaccines based in Canada.