Sanofi builds new insulin plant in Frankfurt-Höchst for around 2 billion euros
Groundbreaking at Industriepark Höchst: the plant is due to start in 2032 and make Europe's insulin supply more crisis-proof. Federal, state and city governments provide 400 million euros in aid.
Archive image · Photo: Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
French drugmaker Sanofi on Monday began building a new insulin plant at Frankfurt's Industriepark Höchst. The company is investing around 2 billion euros. The facility replaces an existing plant, covers 36,000 square metres and will use artificial intelligence. Commissioning is planned for 2032. “Millions of people worldwide depend on insulin every day,” said Sanofi CEO Belen Garijo.
In September, the European Commission approved 400 million euros in state aid from the federal government, the state of Hesse and the city of Frankfurt. The plant is initially to produce at least 1.1 tonnes of insulin a year. Sanofi must keep one tonne of active ingredient in stock and prioritise European markets in the event of shortages.
The Frankfurt site is the only one in the European Economic Area that produces human insulin. More than 4,000 of Sanofi's 6,500 jobs in Höchst depend on insulin production, and the site supplies around 15 million patients in some 80 countries. “This strengthens European sovereignty and reduces dependence on third countries,” said Hesse's state premier Boris Rhein (CDU).