Centrient Pharmaceuticals* supports European Critical Medicines Alliance recommendations in Strategic Report

• CMA’s recommendations aim to build resilience of the pharmaceutical supply chain in Europe
• Centrient is one of the last European manufacturers of antibiotics in Europe and is ready to enhance the role it plays in Europe and globally, ensuring we uphold the highest standards and set the industry benchmark
• Centrient joined the Critical Medicines Alliance in July 2024 

Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 12 March 2025 – Centrient Pharmaceuticals*, a leading global business-to-business supplier of sustainable, enzymatic antibiotics, next-generation statins, and anti-fungals, confirms that it supports the recently published strategic report of the European Critical Medicines Alliance (CMA). 

The Strategic Report, released at the end of February, outlines recommendations for strengthening EU manufacturing and supply chain resilience. The CMA confirmed that the focus of the Strategic Report is to put forward strategic recommendations to the Commission, Member States and the Alliance’s stakeholders on actions and measures that could be implemented to support the strengthening of manufacturing of Critical Medicines in the EU and to ensure strategic partnerships with non-EU countries to strengthen the supply chain of Critical Medicines.

Centrient plays a key role in manufacturing and supplying Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) for antibiotics globally and provides more than 1.5 billion treatments globally a year. With a global footprint designed to offset supply shocks, Centrient is committed to playing its role in enhancing security of supply. Furthermore, Centrient has a strong commitment to ESG and welcomes the recommendations of the CMA to support a level playing field with regard to environmental and social standards and “fair competition between Critical Medicines manufacturers in the EU and in the rest of the world.”  Centrient applies the highest standards to manage its impact on the environment and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the biggest threats to global health identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Centrient’s CEO, Rex Clements, said: "Centrient is one of the last European manufacturers of antibiotics in Europe and we are ready to play our role in enhancing security of supply. We have a strong presence in Europe, with our flagship sites in Delft, the Netherlands, supplying intermediates globally, and in Barcelona, Spain. We would welcome the implementation of new recommendations that set a level playing field and provide a better commercial backdrop for antibiotics manufacturers.”

Centrient has a strong history as one of the first companies worldwide to produce life-saving antibiotics on an industrial scale, beginning in the 1940s at our site in Delft, the Netherlands.

In 2000, we pioneered the fermentation-based manufacturing of semi-synthetic penicillin — a more environmentally sustainable way to produce antibiotics — radically changing how penicillin is made. Centrient remains at the forefront of industry efforts against AMR and was a founding member of the AMR Industry Alliance (AMR IA) in 2016.

In 2023, Centrient partnered with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop and pilot an independent AMR certification scheme, setting an international industry standard for sustainable antibiotic manufacturing. BSI verified Centrient’s compliance with the AMR IA’s Antibiotic Manufacturing Standard and awarded its new BSI Kitemark for ‘Minimized Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance’ to Centrient’s site in Santa Perpetua, Spain.

From our manufacturing site in Delft, we produce intermediates that are shipped globally and contribute to the 1.5 billion treatments manufactured annually by Centrient. Furthermore, our backward integration and control of our supply chain — combined with the ability to produce and deliver APIs from multiple production sources — ensures the security of supply for our customers.

In its report, the CMA commented that “while shortages can affect any type of medicine, they disproportionately impact older, off-patent, and generic medicines. This issue stems largely from the low-profit margins associated with these products, which discourage investments in robust manufacturing capacities. EU health systems have increasingly relied on generic medicines, prioritising procurement at the lowest cost to reduce the burden on national health care budgets.”

The report provided several further recommendations to the European Commission, EU member states, and other relevant stakeholder groups, including:

• Strengthening manufacturing capacities and restoring the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Finished Dosage Forms (FDFs) in Europe;
• Creating a European coordinated investment plan and financial incentives dedicated to the production of critical medicines;
• Encouraging the establishment of multiple production sites within the EU and fostering strategic partnerships with non-EU countries;
• Securing long-term investments in the pharmaceutical sector to ensure resilience and sustainability;
• Establishing measures to make the production of critical medicines economically viable;
• Improving existing procurement practices to integrate supply, security, resilience, and environmental impact criterion for critical medicines

The report will serve as a foundational document for the upcoming Critical Medicines Act, aimed at developing a coordinated European industrial framework to prevent and mitigate shortages of critical medicines. 

About the Critical Medicines Alliance

The Critical Medicines Alliance, based in Brussels, Belgium, was set up in January 2024 by the European Union agency Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and currently has 255 members. The Alliance aims to identify key areas and priorities for action, proposing solutions to strengthen the supply of critical medicines in the EU, ultimately enhancing efforts to prevent and address shortages effectively. The CMA provides a transparent consultative platform for the European Commission and other EU decision-makers, a focus on critical medicines with the greatest vulnerabilities, identifies and addresses supply chain vulnerabilities, pools member expertise, and resources, recommends actions, and proposes new tools to mitigate risks and boost EU manufacturing. The Alliance seeks to enhance EU industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy for the benefit of EU citizens.

Read the Critical Medicine Alliance’s report here: Strategic Report of the Critical Medicines Alliance.

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About Centrient Pharmaceuticals

Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the global business-to-business leader in sustainable, enzymatic antibiotics, next-generation statins, and anti-fungals. We are a pharmaceutical company with a clear Purpose: to improve lives through innovative and sustainable manufacturing of medicines - saving the lives of millions of people around the world annually. Regarding our portfolio, we produce and sell intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), as well as finished dosage forms (FDFs). Centrient Pharmaceuticals is a Board Member of the AMR Industry Alliance and a long-time advocate for industry responsibility in manufacturing. 

For more information, please visit www.centrient.com, www.linkedin.com/company/centrient or contact Centrient Pharmaceuticals Global Communications and ESG Director, Neil Moorhouse. E-Mail: neil.moorhouse@centrient.com. 

*( 1) “Centrient Pharmaceuticals”, “Centrient” in this content are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Centrient International Pharmaceuticals B.V, and or one or more of its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Centrient Pharmaceuticals International B.V. and or one or more of its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. “Subsidiaries”, “Centrient subsidiaries” and “Centrient companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Centrient Pharmaceuticals International B.V. either directly or indirectly has control. The term “Centrient interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Centrient Pharmaceuticals International B.V. in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.