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Rentschler Fill Solutions appoints Dr. Friedrich Sernetz as Chief Executive Officer

Written by: Mike Wood
Published on: 3 Jun 2019

Rankweil, Austria, June 3, 2019 - Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and expert in aseptic fill and finish services, announced today the appointment of Dr. Friedrich Sernetz as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Sernetz' appointment became effective as of June 1, 2019. He has more than twenty years of broad experience as a manager in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

"We are delighted that Dr. Sernetz, who is a highly experienced manager, is taking the lead for Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH," said Prof. Dr. Nikolaus F. Rentschler, the Company's principal shareholder. "Dr. Sernetz is an expert with a proven track record in the pharmaceutical industry who brings a broad network of excellent contacts and outstanding business development skills. He is a strong leader with in-depth experience in executive management and the strategic development of businesses. Thus, Dr. Sernetz has all the prerequisites to successfully grow our state-of-the-art fill and finish services business."

This appointment accompanies the scheduled closure of the aseptic fill and finish facility of Rentschler Biopharma SE located in Laupheim, Germany, at the end of June. Based on a strategic alliance agreed in mid-2017, Rentschler Biopharma is focusing on the manufacturing of drug substance, while Rentschler Fill Solutions is offering the aseptic filling of biopharmaceuticals. The facility in Rankweil has been certified by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit, AGES) for GMP compliance and is licensed for pharmaceutical manufacturing in the European market. Operations started in August 2018 at the facility, which is designed for the production of small to medium-sized batches of up to 60,000 vials. In the long term, these steps will ensure the quality of the full-service business from a single source, based on the claim of 'one contact - one contract - one quality', but also make sure the Company can offer fill and finish solutions to clients worldwide.

"Rentschler Fill Solutions offers specialist fill and finish services that cover the entire range from GMP-compliant aseptic filling and freeze-drying to extensive analytics," added Dr. Sernetz. "I look forward to working closely with our partners in Laupheim. Together, we are able to offer our international clients from the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries a highly attractive overall package that perfectly meets their needs. One of my top priorities is to further enhance and strengthen this offering."

Dr. Sernetz joins Rentschler Fill Solutions from Laboratoire FAMAR (Paris), where he was Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and in addition served as interim co-CEO. Prior to this, he was Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Aenova (Munich) and Country Head Austria at Sandoz (Vienna). Dr. Sernetz also managed worldwide purchasing at Ratiopharm (Ulm) and later at Sandoz (Holzkirchen) as Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). After starting his career at Hoechst (Frankfurt am Main), further steps saw him, amongst others, in the position of Managing Director at Diosynth (Akzo-Nobel) in Mexico. Dr. Sernetz studied chemistry at the universities of Gießen and Freiburg and at Stanford University (USA) and received his doctorate from the University of Freiburg.

Experienced staff ensuring quality and continuity

Jochen Alberstetter, Managing Director Operations, has been in charge of Operations at Rentschler Fill Solutions since mid-April 2019. Mr. Alberstetter, who succeeds Reinhold Elsaesser, joined the Company from Rentschler Biopharma, where he served as Head of Strategic Alliance. In this role, he was responsible for the strategic collaboration between Rentschler Fill Solutions and Rentschler Biopharma.

The active alliance of the two companies is supported by a large staff of highly specialized employees in Laupheim and Rankweil who have many years of fill and finish experience and who are highly focused on client service.

About Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH
Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH, located in Rankweil, Austria, is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for the aseptic filling of liquid and lyophilized pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products. With their complete focus on clients' projects, the company provides state-of-the-art facilities which comply with the latest regulatory, quality and safety standards. Rentschler Fill Solutions focuses on delivering small to medium-sized batches, up to 60,000 vials, to meet clinical and market needs with its highly scalable solutions. Owned by the Rentschler family, Rentschler Fill Solutions is a company with a highly skilled team offering extensive experience and reliable services in aseptic filling. For further information, please visit www.rentschler-fill-solutions.com.

About Rentschler Biopharma SE 
Rentschler Biopharma SE, headquartered in Laupheim, Germany, is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), focused exclusively on client projects. Rentschler Biopharma offers process development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as related consulting activities, including project management and regulatory support. Rentschler Biopharma's high quality is proven by its long-standing experience and excellence as a solution partner for its clients. A high-level quality management system, a well-established operational excellence philosophy and advanced technologies ensure product quality and productivity at each development and manufacturing step. In order to offer optimal solutions across the entire value chain, the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Leukocare AG for formulation development and with Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH for fill and finish services. Rentschler Biopharma also has a manufacturing site in Milford, MA, USA, near Boston. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with more than 850 employees. For further information, please visit www.rentschler-biopharma.com.