After Boehringer Ingelheim in the previous week, there was another success story regarding drug breakthroughs from the domestic pharmaceutical industry. The globally active Viennese pharmaceutical company specializing in rare diseases AOP Health received approval in the USA for a drug developed in Austria. The product “Landiolol” is an ultra-short-acting product Beta blockers for the treatment of acute cardiac arrhythmias.
“The highly specialized drug is used in internal, cardiological and surgical intensive care patients in critical, often life-threatening emergency situations,” the company said in a press release. With this step, AOP Health not only expands its market presence, but also makes a significant contribution to strengthening Austria and Europe as a business location.
AOP Health CEO speaks of a “milestone for the location”
“The development of the US market is a milestone for us, but also for the European pharmaceutical location. We will be launching a product in the US that has been further developed by AOP Health and manufactured in Europe. “Only the secondary packaging will take place as a small production step in the USA,” says Martin SteinhartCEO of AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals Gmbh (AOP Health). In Europe, the product is already approved for use in emergency rooms.
Local value creation
AOP Orphan manufactures 80 percent of its medicines and medical devices in Europe, including Austria, and works closely with top domestic research institutions. In this way, the company contributes “to local value creation and to securing the business location,” says Steinhart. “The expansion into the USA enables us to invest in new research and development projects and thus contribute to security of supply in Europe.”
Over 600 people work for AOP Health worldwide. The company wants to double its sales to 500 million euros by 2027. Approval in the USA is an important step towards this.