A major Catalan pharmaceutical group is set to establish a presence in Couvet
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STE Pharmaceuticals, based in Barcelona, is planning to build a 15,000 m² facility in Couvet in the canton of Neuchâtel by 2032. This will include a production site and a research and development department.
“It is quite clear that the aim of expanding the site is to create skilled jobs,” Stefano Ponta, director of STE Swiss Pharma told local news agency RTN on Monday. He believes it is currently too early to put a figure on the number of jobs to be created.
The Catalan group, which operates in more than 60 countries and specialises in nasal sprays, cough syrups and natural food supplements, plans to convert a former pharmaceutical factory belonging to the company Analytecon. “The site will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology,” added Ponta.
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An application for planning permission has been submitted for the conversion of the factory, including demolition. The public consultation period runs until November 9.
Prospects for a cluster
The Neuchâtel cantonal employment service is pleased to welcome the company. “Successfully attracting international players, which helps to diversify the local economic fabric of the Val-de-Travers as well as that of the whole of the canton of Neuchâtel, is an exciting prospect,” said Matthieu Aubert, head of the department.
STE Swiss Pharma joins three other pharmaceutical companies already based in Couvet. “There is a real economic dynamism” in the village, and the prospect that the area could become a pharma cluster represents “significant potential to attract a skilled workforce”, said Aubert.
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Translated from French reviewed by an English Department journalist.
