Brussels, 11 August 2023

Belgium’s SwiftPharma will host a half day Summit in partnership with EuropaBio’s European Forum For Industrial Biotechnology & The Bioeconomy (EFIB). The Summit, on 23 October, before the main EFIB 2 day event, is dedicated to breakthroughs in plant biomanufacturing as part of global healthcare, and addressing economic and supply chain resilience.

Technology and business model maturation have delivered a high TRL platform for lower cost demand-driven manufacture, with rapid scale up, flexible capacity and multi-product facilities able to develop and support a skilled local workforce. It also offers a paradigm shift in sustainable manufacturing, combining medicines with biomass production, a leap forward for net zero healthcare manufacturing within a circular economy.

Plant biomanufacturing addresses the many challenges faced through current manufacturing requirements for healthcare, where specialised facilities cost hundreds of millions of euros over decades, and require major company strategic commitment, resulting in very few, or even one, company supplying a critical product within price-driven global supply chains. Localised manufacturing can become a reality in many more countries, addressing local healthcare priorities, often missing within global manufacturing decisions.

The Summit will bring together key opinion leaders across science, business, healthcare and policy to set a global ambition and pathway for success. Delegates from EuropaBio’s EFIB conference plus invited guests will be able to take part in the Summit.

Dr Claire Skentelbery, EuropaBio DG commented “The achievements of SwiftPharma as a European SME and its impact at a global scale provide an excellent ambition for Europe and what we can achieve. EuropaBio is proud to work together with SwiftPharma and the Summit marks a valuable extension to EFIB”.

Jeroen Hofenk, Founder and CSO of SwiftPharma added “SwiftPharma’s approach to truly sustainable biomanufacturing addresses significant unmet healthcare and economic need, plus the ability to turn the entire waste stream into a value stream to reach a net-zero footprint. The driving motivation for Europe must be different and more holistic: to create whilst preserving the future, safeguard coming generations, and not have to ask our children for forgiveness. To me, SwiftPharma embodies this vision in every sense as well”.

For more information, please contact:

Jeroen Hofenk jeroen@swiftpharma.eu

Claire Skentelbery c.skentelbery@europabio.org