Medicine: Sanofi is building a new insulin factory in Frankfurt for billions

The pharmaceutical company is building a new production facility for insulin in Frankfurt. This is important for diabetics and has significance far beyond the location.

Frankfurt. Major project for insulin supply in Europe: The pharmaceutical company Sanofi has started building a new insulin system in Frankfurt, for which the company, which is headquartered in Paris, is investing around two billion euros. The new factory is intended to replace an existing insulin system, make the supply for diabetics in Germany and Europe crisis-proof and secure thousands of jobs.

The new facility will be built on 36,000 square meters - about the size of five football fields - and will meet the highest standards and use artificial intelligence. Once operational in 2032, the facility will be one of the largest insulin production facilities in Europe and will be crucial to Sanofi's global insulin supply network, the company said.

“Millions of people around the world rely on insulin every day,” said CEO Belen Garijo at the groundbreaking ceremony in Frankfurt’s Höchst Industrial Park. During the corona pandemic, we saw how vulnerable medical care was. “With this new facility, we are investing in the next generation of insulin production in Europe.”

Sanofi had announced construction of the insulin plant in 2024. In September, the EU Commission gave the green light for state aid of 400 million euros to be granted by the federal government, the state of Hesse and the city of Frankfurt. According to previous information, Sanofi's new plant will initially produce at least 1.1 tons of insulin annually. Sanofi also has to stock a ton of pharmaceutical insulin active ingredients and, in the event of a bottleneck in insulin supply, give priority to European markets.

Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) said that with the new insulin factory, Sanofi was making a contribution to security of supply in Europe. “In this way we are strengthening European sovereignty and reducing dependencies on third countries.”

Important for diabetics

Blood sugar levels are elevated in people with diabetes mellitus. The hormone insulin ensures that glucose from the blood can be absorbed into the body's cells.

Diabetes is a widespread disease: According to Sanofi, more than 500 million people are affected worldwide, and the number could rise to 800 million by 2050. According to previous EU information, without state aid, Sanofi would close its German location. It is the only production site for human insulin in the European Economic Area and one of only two insulin production sites there - the rest is operated by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Denmark.

Insulin production secures thousands of jobs

The traditional insulin production is extremely important for the Frankfurt location: more than 4,000 of the 6,500 jobs at Sanofi in Frankfurt-Höchst depend on it. From there, around 15 million patients in around 80 countries are supplied with insulin products. Sanofi in Frankfurt covers the entire value chain - from the production of active ingredients to filling and the production of pens and auto-injectors to packaging.

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Sanofi’s investment is “an extremely important signal for us as a pharmaceutical and industrial location in Frankfurt,” said Mayor Mike Josef (SPD). “The city of Frankfurt will continue to support this project with all its might.”

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