Life Sciences

Biotech Industry

Approximately 70 biotech and pharmaceutical companies operate in the Czech Republic, with a prevailing interest in field of medicine. Furthermore, a substantial number of these companies cooperate closely with significant players in the pharmaceutical industry that are conveniently positioned in the Czech market. Many of Czech biotech companies specialise in production of the following:

• monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies
• antibody-based diagnostic kits
• immunodiagnostic reagents
• immunoanalytical tools
• RIA and ELISA diagnostic kits
• recombinant proteins

Several biotechnology companies in the Czech Republic offer environmental protection services and specialise in waste management, decontamination, sanitation and re-cultivation of land and water.

Biotech Research and Education

The Czech Republic is home to a number of noteworthy research institutes that have achieved state-of-the-art results in the areas of immunology, rheumatology and medicinal chemistry. The country also offers quality research in neurosciences, oncology, diabetes and metabolic diseases. Major emphasis in current biotech research in the Czech Republic is being placed upon:

• genome structure and regulation of its expression
• structure and function of the nucleus and interaction of the nucleic acids and proteins
• molecular biology and genetic modifications of plants
• molecular immunology and immunogenetics
• molecular biology of oogenesis, spermatogenesis, fertilization and early embryogenesis
• stem-cell research

The Czech biotech sector also benefits from an extensive pool of educated and skilled workers supplied by a network of life-sciences universities. The total number of life-sciences students in the 2005-2006 school year amounted to 39,930 with the corresponding output of 5,214 graduates.

Foreign Investors

Baxter (USA) launched its biotech manufacturing operations in the Czech Republic in 2001. Baxter's hi-tech cell-culture vaccine manufacturing facility currently serves the requirements of the company's proprietary avian flu-vaccine production. The total investment has exceeded USD 70 million and the plant currently employs 230 highly trained and educated people.

"The presence of a strong academic institutions such as the world-famous Charles University in Prague with renowned faculties of biochemistry, biology, pharmacy and medicine, as well as other Czech universities and colleges - Baxter counted on such institutions to provide young, well-trained professionals to meet the company's local labour needs."

• Baxter BioScience Division, May 2003

The Czech production facility of the Swiss company Lonza manufactures active substances and intermediates for the life-sciences industry using microbial fermentation. The company's product range includes pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals (therapeutic proteins, peptides, secondary metabolites) and nutrition ingredients (e.g. L-Carnitine). After the operation's expansion in 2004, a new R&D centre was opened in 2006 which further enhanced Lonza's Czech operations.

"Some clients have been left speechless when seeing for themselves the sophistication of our facilities."

• Tomasz Cieslewski, former General Manager of Lonza's Czech operations

More information about the Czech biotech sector can be found at www.gate2biotech.com. If you are interested to find out more about opportunities to invest in life sciences in the Czech Republic, do not hesitate to contact us at fdi@czechinvest.org. You can also contact CzechInvest's foreign offices.