Stefan Ottmar Fuegenschuh is the Site General Manager for Teva's biologics site in Ulm, Germany. He describes the fascinating world of biotechnology and the work his team is doing on project "Genesis," which will expend Teva's biotech manufacturing capabilities

I have been working in the biotech industry for 20 years. I joined Teva back in 2012, starting in the Biologics Contract Manufacturing Organization and the Manufacturing Science & Technology team, before moving to the Biologics Quality organization. Since April 2022, I have been the Site General Manager of Teva's biotech manufacturing site in Ulm, Germany.

Every position I held and every function I led in the past provided me with new experiences and understanding about the importance of the little steps that are part of a long journey. Quality for example is a joint effort, achieved by many people working together to manufacture high-quality products. It takes a team and great collaboration, because each one of us represents a piece of the puzzle.

Teva's global network gave me the opportunity to gain many insights and learn about different technologies. The meetings and exchanges with people from around the world, from various backgrounds and nationalities drew me to Teva a decade ago and remains attractive for me.

Following a 7-month shutdown for reconstruction, we have recently restarted biotechnology manufacturing in our Ulm site. This allows us to provide our patients and customers with high quality medications. We also introduced new technologies and focus on biosimilars and novel biologics entities. This is a major part of the future for Teva.

Biologic medications are special, because they are dedicated to unmet needs. Our biologics portfolio currently includes cancer and migraine medications. Certain illnesses and diseases, such as neutropenia, which can be caused by chemotherapy, cannot be treated with standard generics medication. The ability to create customized molecules is what differentiates biologics from generics, and our teams are constantly working on more molecules to serve these unmet needs.

I get motivated every day by our work on new pipeline products. We are finalizing big projects, including "Genesis", which is the new, state-of-the-art site we are currently building in Ulm, Germany. Right now, one of our team's key focus areas is commissioning and qualifying everything in the new facility. We are creating the solid ground for the future and it is very exciting.

"Genesis" will become a leader in automation and digitalization in Teva. To make this happen, we are testing and qualifying new equipment, recipes and software. This can be quite challenging at times, but the results are very encouraging. We are bringing in skilled and dedicated people, to build and expand our capabilities in new fields.

We need to know how to combine our hard work and skills with the new technologies we are introducing. Adaptability to the trends we have identified in the industry is also key to continuous success. Our aspiration is for Genesis to be not only a state-of-the-art facility, but also an important leader in our industry in the next decades. It is a long-term investment in knowledge and technologies that will play a critical part in biotech in 20-30 years. The future is fascinating!

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