Minapharm, the leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company in Egypt, Africa and the Middle East, announced on June 1st, the appointment of Dr. Lutz Hilbrich, an experienced biotech executive, as the new CEO of its Berlin-based subsidiary ProBioGen AG.
Dr. Lutz Hilbrich recently was the Vice President, Head of Biosimilars Platform, Sanofi China.He is a seasoned leader with strong international experience, particularly in the United States, China and Europe. The trained physician spent the last 20 years of his industry experience with two major pharmaceutical companies, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi.
Dr. Wafik Bardissi, Chairman and CEO of the parent company Minapharm Pharmaceuticals and Chairman of ProBioGen’s Supervisory Board stated: “This is the perfect time for Lutz Hilbrich to become ProBioGen’s next Chief Executive Officer. We selected a very strong leader at a time when ProBioGen is in an excellent position. I am very pleased to welcome Lutz as our new CEO. Lutz has excelled at strategic leadership and execution and is well-positioned to prop up ProBioGen’s thriving innovation and lead its continued improvement to stay ahead of competition.”
Dr. Hilbrich commented: “I am delighted to join ProBioGen and lead the company to its next phase of expansion. For more than 25 years, I am committed to Healthcare, to positively impacting people’s lives. With its strong scientific base, ProBioGen is uniquely positioned to make a difference through developing cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing complex therapeutic antibodies and glycoproteins for its customers either highly innovative Biotech, Big Pharma or Biosimilar companies from around the globe. The strong ties with Egypt’s Minapharm bear huge potential and I am extremely attracted by the prospect of further driving ProBioGen’s expansion and footprint in new markets.”
About MINAPHARM– www.minapharm.com – Backed with half a century of experience, Minapharm is a leading pharmaceutical, and the first and only biopharmaceutical company in Egypt, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in Cairo, the company maintains a portfolio of more than 150 of the broadest quality products within the industry. The longstanding expertise covers a broad spectrum of medicines, ranging from small molecules to extremely complex bioengineered proteins, with an ultimate goal of striking the balance between innovation and affordability. Minapharm export activities include more than 14 countries in the Gulf and Africa. The company employs over 2000 full-time employees and is listed on Egyptian Exchange (symbol: MIPH).
About ProBioGen – www.probiogen.de – Berlin-based ProBioGen is a well-established specialist in mammalian cell engineering and cell culture as well as a leading innovator in the field of designer cell lines. The company offers its customers a fully integrated and complete service spectrum from gene to market supply, providing every step from protein expression to cGMP manufacturing, including full project management support. ProBioGen’s innovation focuses on proprietary designer cell lines for protein and vaccine production. The company’s AGE1® producer cell line can be broadly applied and offers outstanding productivity and yield in cell culture. The company has been founded by Dr. Uwe Marx and Alexander Nagel and has been backed by VC funds of SHS, CFH/LBBWGruppe, IBG and tbg.