Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa visited HIPRA and highlighted the potential of the pharmaceutical company’s innovative facilities for confronting this new stage
On Friday, Health Minister Salvador Illa visited the headquarters of the Spanish multinational HIPRA, which specialises in the research, production and marketing of vaccines for animal health. After the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, as experts in vaccines for animal health, HIPRA has taken a firm step towards human health, where it knows it can contribute by providing multiple solutions thanks to its experience and knowledge.
The visit arose as a result of the Health Minister’s interest in learning about the progress HIPRA is making towards human health. Apart from visiting the facilities, the minister met with company management to discuss projects focused on this new stage. The pharmaceutical company is currently researching a new vaccine for Covid-19 by conducting two lines of research: one on its own and another in collaboration with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona based on virus mRNA that guarantees long-term immunity.
HIPRA has a unique model and special know-how that positions it at the forefront, as it controls all the phases of vaccine creation: from research and development to production and marketing. The company highlights that it has the necessary technology for developing vaccines for the fields of both animal health and human health. In this regard, Minister Illa highlighted the potential of these innovative facilities.
Since the start of the pandemic, the multinational has made itself available to health authorities, carrying out various altruistic actions such as processing PCR tests for health centres. In addition, its Diagnos España centre was accredited as a clinical analysis laboratory to provide services to health centres, occupational hazard prevention departments and companies. Minister Illa thanked HIPRA for its willingness since the start of the pandemic.
About HIPRA
HIPRA lies in 6th place in the worldwide ranking of animal health vaccines, and it is the laboratory that has launched the most innovative vaccines and technologies in the last ten years, with a total of 22 vaccines. The company closed the 2020 financial year with consolidated sales of 319 million Euros. In 2021, it expects 13.5% growth over the previous financial year. Currently, HIPRA has more than 2,000 people on its staff.
The company allocates 10% of its annual revenue to the research and development of new vaccines. It currently has 39 subsidiaries and 11 diagnostic centres worldwide and markets its products in more than 100 countries.
Since 2019, the company has been driving forward the HIPRA Campus project in Aiguaviva, which includes the expansion of its current facilities in a new complex that will accommodate various production and research units, as well as new business areas of the company, in an area of 114,000 m2. The project envisages an investment plan of €472 million up to 2026 and the direct creation of 580 highly qualified jobs.
HIPRA firmly believes that prevention is the key to the future both in animal health and human health, two sectors that must work hand-in-hand to combat various animal health challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic.