Sandoz Begins Construction on $440M Biosimilar Facility in Slovenia as Part of $1.1B Investment Drive

Sandoz has broken ground on a new $440 million biosimilar manufacturing facility in Brnik, Slovenia, as part of a broader $1.1 billion investment strategy in the country. The facility, located roughly 24 miles from Slovenia’s largest airport, will focus on producing sterile injectable biosimilars and is expected to become operational by 2028.
This latest development marks a major step in Sandoz’s ambition to secure a dominant position in the biosimilars market, which it estimates will be worth $222 billion over the next decade as patents on biologic drugs expire.

“This investment reflects our commitment as the global leader in biosimilars to meeting surging demand in a cost-effective and resilient way,” said Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor. “Biosimilars are a critical growth area for healthcare systems and patients worldwide.”
The Brnik facility will handle drug preparation, aseptic filling, assembly, packaging, and on-site quality control. It will support both current and future biosimilar products.
Sandoz’s Slovenian footprint already includes a drug substance manufacturing site in Lendava and a biosimilar R&D center in Ljubljana. Together with the new Brnik plant, these sites form part of Sandoz’s plan to build an end-to-end European biosimilar hub.
Sandoz, which spun off from Novartis in 2023, launched the world’s first biosimilar in 2006. Its portfolio includes biosimilar versions of blockbuster biologics such as AbbVie’s Humira, J&J’s Stelara, and Biogen’s Tysabri. The company currently has 28 biosimilars and around 450 generics in its pipeline, with more launches expected later this year—including