Novartis opens world’s most modern RNA facility near Basel

The barren Schweizerhalle industrial area between Muttenz and Pratteln BL is not exactly known for its attractions. But as of this week at the latest, it has actually been home to something unique in the world: the state-of-the-art production facility for RNA technology, famous for its Covid vaccines. Novartis officially opened the facility on Monday.

“This is where the magic happens,” Letizia Volpe casually points to a steel bowl. On this day, the chemist guides you through the production facility. Even the Minister of Economy, Guy Parmelin, 63, was fascinated. “With the opening of this new production facility, Novartis sends a strong signal to Switzerland as a location,” said the Federal Council at the opening. The pharmaceutical giant is suspected of shifting more and more jobs abroad, particularly in manufacturing.

Schweizerhalle stands for superlative expressions

The cost of the new facility is CHF 70 million. Its construction took less than two years. “In a very short time we have installed 100 types of devices and laid 12 kilometers of pipelines,” says Michael Wessels (52) proudly. He is the Plant Manager of Novartis in Schweizerhalle.

200 expert employees work here and produce two tons of active ingredients per year for 15 different drugs. It sounds very little. But in the still new field of RNA, Novartis currently operates one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the world. “We’re playing him in the Champions League,” stresses factory manager Wessels – at Schweizerhalle they’re not stingy about the odds.

revolution in medicine

As Moderna and Biontech’s vaccines are based on this principle, RNA technology became widely known during the Covid pandemic. But at Schweizerhalle, Novartis is producing not a vaccine, but molecules for its drug Leqvio, a new type of cholesterol-lowering drug. Novartis, whose active ingredients of the Covid vaccine are called mRNA, produces a substance called siRNA in its new factory.

RNA active ingredients are coupled to proteins and thus reach targets in the body that cannot be achieved with conventional drugs. Researchers and the pharmaceutical industry say this technology is currently revolutionizing medicine. It is said to be used against infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and cancer.

Production is quite complex, with 170 chemical production steps required to produce the desired molecule for the cholesterol-lowering drug at the new facility in Schweizerhalle. The production facility is spread over three floors.

The smallest building blocks of synthetic RNA therapeutics are dissolved in silver steel vessels, synthesized, concentrated, filtered, distilled and freeze-dried – after a three-day process, to a white powder, that is, until the desired molecules are formed.

Parmelin with a dig at FCB

Swissmedic is still reviewing this – licenses for two new RNA production lines should be available by the end of February at the latest. Then, Leqvio with the active ingredient “Made in Switzerland” will be launched for the first time. The drug has already been approved, so far it came from a factory in the USA.

Once the new facility in Schweizerhalle is fully utilized, Novartis will be the world’s largest siRNA producer. “What Novartis has done here deserves our appreciation,” said Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin. Then to digress: “If FC Basel models the pharmaceutical industry, maybe it will play again more successfully soon.”

Source :Blick