Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and provider of aseptic fill and finish services, has appointed Dr. Friedrich Sernetz as chief executive officer. Dr. Sernetz’ appointment became effective as of June 1, 2019. He has more than twenty years of broad experience as a manager in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
 
“We are delighted that Dr. Sernetz, who is a highly experienced manager, is taking the lead for Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH,” said Prof. Dr. Nikolaus F. Rentschler, the company’s principal shareholder. “Dr. Sernetz is an expert with a proven track record in the pharmaceutical industry who brings a broad network of excellent contacts and outstanding business development skills. He is a strong leader with in-depth experience in executive management and the strategic development of businesses. Thus, Dr. Sernetz has all the prerequisites to successfully grow our state-of-the-art fill and finish services business.”
 
This appointment accompanies the scheduled closure of the aseptic fill and finish facility of Rentschler Biopharma SE located in Laupheim, Germany, at the end of June. Based on a strategic alliance agreed in mid-2017, Rentschler Biopharma is focusing on the manufacturing of drug substance, while Rentschler Fill Solutions is offering the aseptic filling of biopharmaceuticals. The facility in Rankweil has been certified by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit, AGES) for GMP compliance and is licensed for pharmaceutical manufacturing in the European market. Operations started in August 2018 at the facility, which is designed for the production of small to medium-sized batches of up to 60,000 vials.
 
Dr. Sernetz joins Rentschler Fill Solutions from Laboratoire FAMAR (Paris), where he was chief commercial officer and in addition served as interim co-CEO. Prior to this, he was chief commercial officer at Aenova (Munich) and country head Austria at Sandoz (Vienna).