Centrient Pharmaceuticals joins Almirall’s growing innovation hub in Barcelona

RIJSWIJK, the Netherlands and BARCELONA, Spain. October 10th 2023 - Almirall S.A. (BME: ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology, today announced an agreement with Centrient Pharmaceuticals (‘Centrient’), a global business-to-business pioneer in sustainable, biosynthetic pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, next-generation statins, and anti-fungals, to open its new dedicated innovation lab at Almirall’s R&D centre. Centrient's new Innovation Laboratory will start operations in the first quarter of 2024.

This development builds upon Almirall’s commitment to transform its R&D center in Sant Feliu de Llobregat into a dynamic collaborative environment. The center serves as a hub where researchers from biotech companies, startups, universities, and other scientific institutions can collaborate fostering an ideal environment for innovation. Through this partnership with Centrient, following an earlier agreement with ZeClinics earlier this year, Almirall reinforces its mission to create a platform where knowledge and science intersect.

The establishment of an Innovation Laboratory at Almirall's R&D facilities is a strategic milestone for Centrient. It positions Centrient to forge a more diversified and innovative portfolio, a pivotal element of the company's strategic roadmap leading into 2030. Moreover, Centrient seeks to leverage its manufacturing prowess and process development acumen, emerging as a crucial player within an open innovation paradigm. This transformation will accelerate Centrient's evolution from a manufacturer to an innovation partner in the markets it serves.

Located in Barcelona, the laboratory will provide a central hub for Centrient’s product and process innovation, complementing and building on its existing research and development capabilities around the world. The laboratory's core focus areas encompass Centrient's biotechnology expertise, including strain conservation, strain and enzyme development, industrial microbiology, laboratory-scale fermentation, and enzyme processing and application.

Rex Clements, Chief Executive Officer of Centrient Pharmaceuticals, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: "The new Innovation Laboratory is an exhilarating strategic leap for Centrient Pharmaceuticals. It will enable us to cement our position as a technology leader, generate enduring value for our stakeholders, and secure a more competitive market standing. By building upon our existing capabilities in product and process innovation, we are poised to cultivate a broader and more diverse product portfolio rooted in innovative, sustainable manufacturing practices. Our aspiration is to continue driving positive transformation within the healthcare industry and society at large, expanding our impact to reach more patients worldwide."

Jorge Gil-Martinez, Chief Scientific Officer of Centrient Pharmaceuticals said: “This collaboration represents a huge step in our journey towards an Open Innovation model, where we aim to create synergies with strategic partners to accelerate our mission: enable State of the Art innovative processes for our products and a diversified portfolio.”

Karl Ziegelbauer, Ph.D., Almirall's Chief Scientific Officer, added, "This agreement to host Centrient’s innovation lab at our R&D center underscores Almirall's commitment to fostering a collaborative environment for cutting-edge innovation. At Almirall, we have always prioritized innovation, and this collaboration is another step forward in our mission to support research projects for biotech companies, start-ups, universities, and more.

Working together to catalyse open innovation

Sharing a creative scientific space will open up opportunities for open innovation between the companies as well as future partners. Working in close proximity will allow Centrient and Almirall colleagues to share knowledge and expertise as part of a tight-knit community of innovators.

Almirall's ultimate goal is to create a pharmaceutical innovation hub where different companies can execute their innovation strategies. This will create the ideal environment for innovation, with companies connecting the dots by complementing each other's capabilities and expertise.

About Almirall

Almirall is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology. We collaborate with scientists and healthcare professionals to address patients' needs through science to improve their lives. Our Noble Purpose is at the core of our work: "Transform the patients' world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life". We invest in differentiated and ground-breaking medical dermatology products to bring our innovative solutions to patients in need.

The company, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM). Throughout its 79-year history, Almirall has focused intensely on patients' needs. Almirall has a direct presence in 21 countries and strategic agreements in over 70, with about 1,800 employees. Total revenue in 2022 was €878.5 MM.

For more information, please visit almirall.com

About Centrient

Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the global business-to-business leader in sustainable, enzymatic antibiotics, next-generation statins, and anti-fungals. We are a pharmaceutical company with a clear Purpose: to improve lives through innovative and sustainable manufacturing of medicines - saving the lives of millions of people around the world annually.

Regarding our portfolio, we produce and sell intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), as well as finished dosage forms (FDFs). Our world-leading proprietary enzymatic technology PureActives® ensures an unmatched eco-friendly production process for our high-quality products. Driven by our Purpose and Sustainability through our ESG vision, we aim to create value for Centrient and our stakeholders. Centrient is a Board Member of the AMR Industry Alliance and a long-time advocate for industry responsibility in manufacturing.

Founded 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, our company was known as Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Rotterdam (Netherlands), we have production facilities and sales offices in China, India, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Mexico. Centrient Pharmaceuticals is owned by Bain Capital Private Equity, a leading global private investment firm.

For more information, please visit centrient.com/

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