Where you build your healthcare IP is just as important as how you build it

In April this year, Frank Mathias took the hot seat at Rentschler Biotechnologie, moving from the Supervisory Board to become the company's new Chief Executive Officer. He traded places at the high table with Nikolaus Rentschler, who after stepping down from the top post will continue as a member of the Supervisory Board to concentrate on the further expansion of the group.

A leading contract manufacturing organization for the development of biopharmaceuticals, keeping pace with growth has become the full-time focus at Rentschler Biotechnologie. Dr. Mathias spoke with partneringNEWS about opportunities moving forward as he shapes the strategic direction for the group.

partneringNEWS (pN): Coming on board as CEO you highlighted that Rentschler is a growing company. In what ways is the company growing?

Frank Mathias (FM): The company is growing in many dimensions. Firstly, we are profiting from a growing medical need for biopharmaceuticals and a strong trend towards manufacturing outsourcing worldwide, which can be translated into an increasing number of CMC projects.

Secondly, we have already anticipated this development a few years ago and have significantly expanded our manufacturing capacities over the last years. This allows us now to respond to this increasing demand.

Thirdly, we have convinced our clients of the quality of our services and solutions. Thus, our clients work together with us on several projects. This has also contributed to a nice increase of our revenues over the last two years.

Finally, many new employees have been recruited. Since the beginning of the year more than 100 new employees joined the company and we are planning to further significantly increase the size of our workforce by adding approximately 100 additional new jobs.

pN: Rentschler is positioned in a fiercely competitive market. What distinguishes the company's offering? What is driving this success?

FM: What drives the success of Rentschler is our passion for what we do—our passion for performance, for flexibility, for solutions, and for our clients. We remain flexible in every way, meaning that we monitor the latest industry trends and are always working at the cutting edge of technology. Our full-service offering covers all activities from bioprocess development through biomanufacturing, fill-and-finish up to regulatory support. We deliver solutions "Made in Germany," even for the most challenging molecule formats. We take the time to understand client requirements in detail and implement those with a keen sense of urgency. This is the basis for strong quality and a trustful relationship with our clients.

pN: You noted in April that there are continuously positive developments on the market. Can you describe these developments? Why are these positive for Rentschler?

FM: Biopharmaceuticals have proven to be very efficient for the treatment of serious illnesses and the medical need for such kind of therapies is accordingly growing. Today about 240 biopharmaceuticals are on the market, hundreds of new biological entities are currently in clinical development. As a manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals for clinical studies and for market supply, we benefit from this increasing need and use. Rentschler is well-positioned in the market and has the production capacities to respond to this growing demand.

pN: Now that you have had six months to think about strategy, what is your vision for Rentschler moving forward?

FM: As I have served the company as Board Member over the last three years, I have already had my personal vision in mind when I took over the CEO position. During the last six months I have gathered additional insights and taken the time to discuss possible strategies with the top management. Although it is still too early to share this publicly, I strongly believe that Rentschler has a great future.

pN: What are the key points about Rentschler that you would emphasize for participants at the BIO-Europe^® meeting?

FM: As a full-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Rentschler provides an essential contribution to the global availability of biopharmaceuticals. We are ranked amongst the best in our industry. Our full-service offering covers bioprocess development, cGMP biomanufacturing, aseptic filling as well as support for approval strategies and our cGMP facilities meet the highest quality standards of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Rentschler has a passion for solutions for our clients and is committed to the success of the projects. We are a reliable outsourcing partner for international corporations as well as startup companies. Since 2000, we have been working with more than 120 clients worldwide including 15 of the top 20 pharma companies and enjoy long-lasting cooperation with our clients.