Minister Brinkhorst opens Organon pharmaceutical pilot plant - Organon plant reflects belief in the need to innovate - Press Releases

Minister Brinkhorst opens Organon pharmaceutical pilot plant - Organon plant reflects belief in the need to innovate
June 08, 2005
Today, the Minister of Economic Affairs, mr LJ Brinkhorst, will open the new pharmaceutical pilot plant of Organon in Oss. This building will be the site where medicines (in pill and liquid form) will be produced on a small scale for global clinical studies of Organon. The pilot plant is equipped with the latest technical and technological facilities and involves an investment of EUR 37.2 million.

Within a few years, The Netherlands would like to belong to the top of the European ?knowledge economy?. Government, businesses and institutions are doing their utmost to realize this ambitious goal. Toon Wilderbeek, President of Organon International and member of the Board of Management at Akzo Nobel, emphasizes Organon?s belief in the need to innovate. ?Innovation is the engine behind the knowledge economy and can largely be found in big companies such as Akzo Nobel. Together, these companies are responsible for approximately 50 percent of the R&D investments in our country. An important percentage of Akzo Nobel?s R&D budget is allocated to Organon in Oss. And this enabled us to realize our innovative pilot plant here, among other things.?
In order to put The Netherlands on the ?innovation map?, it is necessary to stimulate the start-up of new, innovative companies. Organon contributes to this as well, and here too a role has been set aside for the pharmaceutical pilot plant. BioConnection, a center that offers knowledge and capacity to small biotech companies for the development and production of biopharmaceutical medicines, has obtained user rights to part of the present filling and freeze-drying capacity of the new pharmaceutical pilot plant. BioConnection was recently established by the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (Brabant Development Company), the mibiton Foundation and Akzo Nobel, with financing from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Province of North Brabant and the Oss Municipality.

The Minister of Economic Affairs, LJ Brinkhorst, emphasizes the significance of the new pharmaceutical pilot plant as follows: ?I am extremely pleased that through this plant a major global player like Akzo Nobel is investing in life sciences in our country, and that knowledge and facilities are thus being shared ? by means of the BioConnection concept ? with other companies both here and abroad. In fact, it is the presence of global players in combination with young, growing companies that enhances the attractiveness of our entrepreneurial climate and results in economic activity and employment opportunities. That is the vision behind my innovation policy for stimulating the development of the knowledge economy.?
Hans Wijers, Chairman of the Board at Akzo Nobel: ?We are proud of our new pilot plant and of BioConnection. We are convinced that with this project we are making a contribution to both our own innovative strength and that of small companies who make use of our knowledge and facilities.?
Organon ? with shared head offices in Roseland, NJ, USA and Oss, The Netherlands ? creates, manufactures and markets prescription medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business partnerships, Organon strives to remain or become one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, psychiatry and anesthesia.
Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary. Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel.