“Automating production, increasing efficiency, and introducing new products into manufacturing are among our long-term strategic goals. By expanding the manufacturing facility and installing new production equipment, we will be able to manufacture both the medicines already in our product portfolio and those scheduled to enter production in the coming years much more efficiently. Through these concrete steps, Olpha is strengthening its competitiveness in the highly saturated Western European markets and contributing to the resilience of Latvia’s pharmaceutical market,” says Dr. chem. Juris Hmeļņickis, Chairman of the Management Board of Olpha.
The replacement and modernisation of production equipment will increase the company’s finished dosage form manufacturing capacity by 2.5 times. Digitalisation and automation will also be introduced into several pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. For example, equipment cleaning times will be reduced by up to 50%.
“The pharmaceutical industry is highly demanding, and our work requires compliance with strict international manufacturing and distribution standards. Through this project, we are enhancing our compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, thereby strengthening our competitiveness and expanding our capacity to increase exports to European markets. We expect production of three new medicines to begin in the new facility immediately,” adds Hmeļņickis.
The project is being implemented with the support of the development finance institution Altum, which is providing EUR 1.75 million of the total investment. Of the total amount, EUR 3 million will be invested in design and construction, while EUR 2.84 million will be allocated to the purchase of production lines and equipment.
The design phase of the manufacturing facility expansion project was completed in 2025. Construction began this year and is scheduled for completion next year.
Following the change in majority ownership, Olpha has been working intensively to expand its product portfolio in the off-patent medicines segment and strengthen its presence in Western European markets. Eight new medicines from the company’s new product portfolio have already reached consumers, and this number is expected to exceed 20 by the end of this year. They cover therapeutic areas including cardiology, pulmonology, neurology and psychiatry, endocrinology, oncology, and others. The new products are currently available in the Baltic States, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, and France.
