Bluepharma opens production unit in Coimbra dedicated to gene therapy

Bluepharma will open a new manufacturing unit in Coimbra for complex injectable medicines linked to gene therapy, resulting from a mobilizing agenda and the Portuguese pharmaceutical company’s growing commitment to innovation, a company source said.

The new unit, scheduled to begin operations in April, is the result of a consortium of ten entities led by the São Martinho do Bispo–based pharmaceutical company, which brings together, among others, the University of Coimbra and several international companies.

“The field of gene therapy [which involves replacing a defective gene that causes disease with a healthy one] is the most advanced science offers worldwide today; this is truly the future,” said Paulo Barradas Rebelo, founder and chairman of Bluepharma, in an interview with Lusa News Agency.

After creating, in 2023, a complex injectables factory in the parish of Eiras, north of Coimbra—a facility for high-potency medicines—Bluepharma is now making another investment in the advanced therapies area at the same location, without disclosing the amount involved.

The chairman of the pharmaceutical company, founded in 2001, noted that the company he leads has always pursued a mobilizing agenda and the establishment of trust-based partnerships, initiated “more than 25 years ago,” even before the creation of Bluepharma.

“We are a company in which the values of partnership and sharing are very important,” Paulo Barradas Rebelo emphasized.

He recalled that Bluepharma emerged 25 years ago in the generic medicines sector, which he described as “a socially responsible area, bringing significant benefits to the healthcare system and patients.”

“It allows the country to export, it allows the country to be more autonomous in such a sensitive area as medicines. We have always progressed with the project, always keeping in mind that if we lacked the capacity to innovate, it would become increasingly difficult, because an organization that does not innovate dies,” he said.

Paulo Barradas Rebelo also highlighted that one of the objectives of Bluepharma’s ongoing projects is to “accelerate the reindustrialization of Europe,” involving, in this endeavor, attracting new investments, leveraging the company’s “strong reputation in the healthcare sector in the European market,” and countering the emigration of qualified professionals abroad.

Highlighting the importance of human capital at Bluepharma, he added that the Portuguese pharmaceutical company was recently certified in work-life balance by the Spanish foundation Más Familia, an international certification aimed at helping companies balance employees’ personal, family, and professional lives, while promoting equality and flexibility.

With investments in São Martinho do Bispo, including the acquisition of the former Bayer facility, as well as in Taveiro, Eiras, and Cernache—where it advanced the creation of the Portugal Life Science Park, an integrated ecosystem for research, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical production—Bluepharma is present in four locations around Coimbra, currently employing approximately 700 people.

The Portuguese company exports 90% of its production to more than 40 countries: “If we did not export, we would only be able to meet half of the country’s needs for generic medicines,” Barradas Rebelo noted.