Five minutes with…

Marianne Späne, Executive Vice President Global Business Development, Marketing and Sales, Siegfried AG

Chemistry Today: Currently what parts of the market are most important for Siegfried and what can we expect in the future?

Späne: We constantly see increasing outsourcing activity in small molecules, as companies are more and more concentrating in the core business of marketing, R&D and scouting. Due to stringent compliance requirements, many companies are now coming back from Eastern Europe and returning to Western suppliers like Siegfried, and considering both compliance and cost. Overall, this trend has helped us. Additionally, we recently acquired 3 BASF facilities, which greatly expanded our capacity. We are mostly active in small molecules, but we recently began filling activity for large molecules as well.

CT: Are you going to expand into biologics then?

Späne: We do not exclude it, but we have to take a close look at when there will be a smart point of entry. If we fill small or large molecules, it is the same technology and analytical capacity, thus either can be done with minimal effort.

CT:You also opened new laboratories in Switzerland.

Späne: We are always looking at ways to expand our development capability. The market trend is to outsource not only the commercial capability, but outsource already at Phase II or even before. Thys, customers look at integrated manufacturers like Siegfried that have the capability to upscale during Phase II, or prior, and go directly into commercial manufacturing from there. That means we need more development capability to support this trend. In addition, the regulatory guidelines also need more analytical services.

CT: Does this mean you offer GMP capabilities routinely?

Späne: Yes, at all scales. We have a non-GMP kilo-lab, but all other activities including those in China are cGMP.

CT: Speaking about China, do your new operations there give you a window on the Asian market?

Späne: Even from our Nantong facility, we are mostly servicing the Western market. Unfortunately, it takes about a decade to get permission(s) to serve the Chinese market.

CT: What does Siegfried offer that no one else can?
Späne: I would not say we offer something that nobody else can. But, what I would say, is we are very good with our compliance having an impeccable track record, which today is not a given. When you combine the aforesaid with full-fledged integrated service for developing both drug substance and drug products as solids and injectable(s) with 9 sites worldwide, this is quite exemplary of a CDMO.  Our integrated service solution was founded on inherited technical know-how that not many companies have or can afford. We have already over 140 years of history supporting this. We have inherited technical knowledge in both drug substance and drug product formulation.  Thus, our drug product formulators work with our API experts, having a common understanding from the early development stage(s).