Sandoz marks 80 years of antibiotics with call for urgent political action to safeguard European medicine security

MEDIA RELEASE
 

• Sandoz marks 80 years of pioneering large-scale European-based production of critical antibiotics – the backbone of modern medicine

• Files landmark draft anti-dumping complaint to defend fair competition and European manufacturing

• Warns that existing production capacity is at risk due to unsustainable market conditions, urges European policymakers to act before it is too late

Basel, 28 May 2026  – Sandoz (SIX: SDZ / OTCQX: SDZNY), the global leader in affordable medicines, today marks 80 years of large-scale antibiotic production in Europe with a major public anniversary event in Kundl, Austria.

The event brings together high-level speakers from politics, academia and the defence sector. Participants include State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (Austrian Ministry of Economic Affairs), Governor of Tyrol Anton Mattle, Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek (Austrian Armed Forces), Prof. Ulrike Holzgrabe (University of Würzburg), Jonathan Toomey (Coalition for a Prosperous America) and Frank Van Trimpont (European Council of Disaster Medicine).

Speaking ahead of the event, Sandoz chairman Gilbert Ghostine said: “At Sandoz, antibiotics are not just part of our heritage; they are part of our Purpose. For decades, we have taken responsibility for keeping these essential medicines available reliably, at scale and with quality at the core.

“Safeguarding antibiotic manufacturing in Europe is not optional; it is a strategic necessity. And, looking ahead, Kundl’s future is more important than ever. As the last fully vertically integrated site in Europe, it is uniquely positioned to secure the continent’s supply of critical antibiotics.”

Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor echoed the chairman’s comments and also warned that Europe risks losing critical manufacturing capacity – and overall security infrastructure – without urgent political action.

He said: “Today should be a day of celebration, but Europe’s ability to guarantee a secure and reliable supply of antibiotics is increasingly at risk. European policymakers need to wake up to this unprecedented threat and take urgent action before it is too late.

“The reality is that up to 90 percent of global antibiotic active pharmaceutical ingredients are now produced outside Europe, primarily in China. This is a crucial strategic vulnerability with direct consequences for public health, crisis preparedness and Europe’s ability to defend its status in a rapidly changing world.”

In parallel, Sandoz has filed a draft anti‑dumping complaint to the European Commission concerning Chinese imports of Amoxicillin API, citing clear signs of market-distorting behaviour including sustained below‑cost pricing, state subsidies and concentration of global capacity in one country. This landmark action represents the first such case filed in the pharmaceutical industry in several decades.

The Sandoz complaint calls on the EU to apply anti-dumping duties to prevent foreign companies flooding global markets with ultra-cheap, state-subsidised penicillin APIs. India has already acted by imposing minimum import prices to protect its own antibiotic supply chain.

Mr. Saynor added: “Antibiotics have saved more lives than any other medicine ever. But they are treated like a commodity and a pack often costs less than a pack of chewing gum. And current market conditions do not reflect fair competition – they systematically disadvantage resilient European production – risking the loss of critical manufacturing capacity because it is competing under fundamentally uneven conditions.”

In today’s volatile geopolitical environment, access to essential medicines, particularly antibiotics, is a strategic asset more than ever before.

Mr. Saynor concluded: “Safeguarding antibiotic supply is not only a health policy issue, but a question of economic security and strategic trade policy. Europe must act now to safeguard independent supply in years to come.”


Pictures: Images of the event will be available later this afternoon and can be accessed via this link: https://www.sandoz.com/sandoz-marks-80-years-antibiotics-call-urgent-political-action-safeguard-european-medicine-security/


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ABOUT SANDOZ
Sandoz (SIX: SDZ; OTCQX: SDZNY) is the global leader in affordable medicines, with a growth strategy driven by its Purpose: pioneering access for patients. More than 20,000 colleagues of 100 nationalities work together to ensure over one billion patients are reached by Sandoz, generating substantial global healthcare savings and an even larger social impact. Its leading portfolio of approximately 1,300 medicines addresses diseases from the common cold to cancer. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Sandoz traces its heritage back to 1886. In 2026, Sandoz celebrates 20 years of pioneering biosimilars, 80 years of antibiotics manufacturing and 140 years of heritage. In 2025, Sandoz recorded net sales of USD 11.1 billion.  

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