In Passage-d’Agen, a company builds modular units of pharmaceutical production “turnkey”.

In Passage-d’Agen, the company IPM Technologies has been based for thirty years. Made up of around twenty employees, the company designs modular pharmaceutical units. The company expects sales of €20.5 million in 2023. The process equipment is spread across several controlled atmosphere modules that are the size and shape of shipping containers. By interlocking them like Legos, they form a complete pharmaceutical unit. Most of it is intended for the production of drugs and injectable solutions, such as paracetamol infusions. These units are purchased by private and public sector customers and are shipped around the world to meet the rapid demands of production centers. CEO Henri Gauthier details the benefits of these modular units: “We have very ergonomic factories that occupy an area of ​​5,000 m² on average. A plot of 10,000 m² is recommended for the installation and peripheral logistics. You should know that the construction duration of these modular units takes on average 2 years less than a traditional unit. From construction and start-up to installation and on-site qualification, it is very important that the customer gets started as early as possible: within one year of installation, production gradually reaches 20 million infusion bags per year. »

Respond to needs

The CEO emphasizes a willingness to “help countries that need it” and will take the example of the plans the company participated in to help Ukraine, for example after the Chernobyl accident.
The company has worked in France several times in the past, notably with Sanofi, but now works much more on exports. “A choice that involves advantages and constraints, especially for obtaining international patents. emphasizes Christophe Darrort, commercial director of IPM Technologies.

Currently, it is with emerging countries that IPM Technologies works. “Our ‘turnkey’ unit concept allows our customers total control of industrial risks and the guarantee of a perfectly operational unit in a very short time and compliant with European pharmaceutical standards” explains Christophe Darrort.
After noticing the numerous problems of kidney failure in the populations of these countries, the company has been producing modular dialysis centers for several years.

Henri Gauthier reveals that “at least 85% of drugs are imported into African countries. Some are of poor quality and cause kidney problems. We want to help alleviate these problems by setting up dialysis centers and producing dedicated medicines: dialysis concentrates.”

Quality craftsmanship

IPM Technologies provides in its package pharmaceutical, technological and industrial support services including the marketing authorization practices (AMM) which define the rules for the production of drugs. With these MA files, unit buyers can then produce generics from the list of many files held by the company.

In this same idea of ​​quality assurance, Christophe Darrort states that “the equipment partners are 100% European, mainly German, Italian and Swiss. »
Henri Gauthier continues during a sale: “You have to realize that an established unit is a price that can be around 20 million euros, therefore a real project. We support our clients in their strategic plan knowing that the financing period represents a cycle of up to 24 months. Then comes the construction, installation and then the start of production. It’s real support and training that we offer for 2 years after launch. We want our customers to be completely self-contained on their productions and have all the keys for the unit to work without us. »