32 unity ambassadors visited IDT Biologika on Saturday. They were on a four-day tour of Saxony-Anhalt to mark the Day of German Unity, following an invitation from Bundesrat President Dr. Reiner Haseloff. On their tour of the pharmaceutical company site the guests not only learned about the particular challenges directly following reunification, but also talked with Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fiedler, Chief Commercial Officer and Member of the Executive Board, about the key role of innovative energy today, the contribution that IDT Biologika is currently making in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the positive way in which the company is influencing living conditions within the region.
The federal state of Saxony-Anhalt currently holds the presidency of the Bundesrat, the German federal council, and is consequently also hosting the central celebrations to mark the Day of German Unity. On this occasion, each federal state appointed two unity ambassadors. They describe what German unity means to them or what experience might not have been possible without German unity. As part of a four-day visit leading up to the celebrations of 3 October, they were guests in Saxony-Anhalt. In the process they explored sites and facilities closely linked to the #modern thinking campaign and whose innovative ideas have consistently made them ahead of their time.
On 2 October the agenda of the unity ambassadors included a visit to pharmaceuticals company IDT Biologika. With its 100-year history, the medium-sized company in Dessau-Roßlau is firmly rooted in Saxony-Anhalt, yet also at home throughout the world. Modern thinking has long been key to this success story. Since its founding, IDT Biologika has consistently stayed true to its core competences, the research, development and manufacture of virus vaccines and biopharmaceutical products, whilst at the same time expanding further – often at breakneck pace – with regard to product range, production capacity, market requirements and, above all, innovations and technology. And this is precisely the reason why IDT Biologika is making a decisive contribution to tackling the coronavirus pandemic today.
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fiedler, Chief Commercial Officer, warmly welcomed the unity ambassadors to what is literally a construction site. “This new structure is the future. If this were already 2023, you would now be standing in a multifunctional vaccine production building,” explained Fiedler, providing a vivid visualization of the development of the company in recent years on the way through the neighboring buildings. During the tour the guests not only learned about the complex procedures in drug substance production and filling, but also the milestones that have been reached across the years. “2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 – for six years now we have been continuously expanding capacity, investing in new, state-of-the-art filling lines, the production of drug substances, packaging technology and many other technologies, as well as expanding our personnel,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fiedler, describing the high requirements that the company faces.
In the course of this, a dialogue emerged with the guests. Against the background of German unity in
particular, the unity ambassadors from all federal states enquired about the merging together of east
and west. “We employ nearly 1,600 people in the region. We not only want these to enjoy working with
us, but also to feel at home in the region. To achieve this, we are happy to take responsibility and seek to
give something back. For many years now we have been sponsoring culture and education, supporting
the Bauhaus and the Anhaltisches Theater, promoting attractive living standards and prospects.
Education, women, including in management positions, further training – these are just some of the
aspects of this,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fiedler.
Following their brief visit to IDT Biologika the unity ambassadors set off for the next destination that same
morning, as Saxony-Anhalt has many other locations where #modern thinking plays a key role.
