Abolis Biotechnologies, a company that uses microorganisms for industrial solutions, has joined forces with EUROAPI, a top global producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients, to create microbial strains for making important intermediate compounds and 20 active pharmaceutical ingredients. This effort focuses especially on corticosteroids. This partnership is part of the European Med4Cure initiative, which is a major project aimed at increasing European reliance on its own pharmaceutical production. The project has been approved by the European Commission and gets support from Bpifrance, which is providing up to 140 million euros as part of the France 2030 plan. EUROAPI leads this program, with help from academic institutions like Chimie Paris Tech, INSA Rouen, the University of Nantes, and Toulouse INP.
Health Technology Insights: Roquette Launches Pharma Innovation Center to Boost Latin America as Collaborative Hub
As part of this partnership, Abolis Biotechnologies will work on creating microbial strains and the related processes needed to produce corticosteroids used in treating immune and allergic diseases. A big part of their strategy is blending biotechnology with corticosteroid chemistry to make a more efficient and innovative production method. The actual manufacturing will happen at EUROAPI’s facilities in St Aubin-lès-Elbeuf in Normandy and Vertolaye in Auvergne, which are the only European sites that currently make these treatments. Over four years, Abolis Biotechnologies will get financial support from Bpifrance and EUROAPI as they carry out their work.
Health Technology Insights: LegitScript Sees Record Growth in Global Digital Health Certification
European production of these essential drugs faces both structural and economic challenges, which have led to repeated supply shortages in recent years. Right now, about 80% of the global corticosteroid market is controlled by Asian manufacturers, especially in China and India, where production costs are lower. This dependence makes supply chains vulnerable to political issues, logistics problems, or health emergencies, showing why it’s important to build local production capabilities.
Cyrille Pauthenier, co-founder and President of Abolis Biotechnologies, is excited about the partnership with EUROAPI. He said that this collaboration is a big step towards regaining European pharmaceutical independence in a sustainable and competitive way. He mentioned that by combining biotechnology with chemical processes, Abolis Biotechnologies can improve supply chain security, speed up their growth, and strengthen their position in industrial biotechnology and microbiome applications in Europe.
David Seignolle, CEO of EUROAPI, said that the partnership brings together innovative companies and top academic institutions. He stressed that the support from the IPCEI framework allows for a collaborative effort to restore pharmaceutical sovereignty in Europe, especially in the production of important corticosteroid medications that are vital for patient care.
Health Technology Insights: Trilliant Health Launches Oria AI for Price Transparency
To participate in our interviews, please write to our HealthTech Media Room at sudipto@intentamplify.com
