Swiss pharmaceutical company opens Malta plant

Siegfried Generics' Malta plant was opened yesterday by Investments Minister Austin Gatt who said its presence here will contribute to the country's attractiveness as a pharmaceutical destination.

Dr Gatt said there were 11 pharmaceutical companies in Malta which employed over 600 employees.

Siegfried Generics, a Swiss company, will be using its Malta plant at the Hal Far industrial park, called Siegfried General Malta Ltd, to produce very high value-added generic pharmaceuticals. By the end of June, Siegfried will provide 30 jobs, which Dr Gatt described as "high-salary jobs", proving that Malta's economy is producing not just more, but better jobs.

Markus Altwegg, chairman of Siegfried Generics, said that before the company started the construction and planning of the Malta plant, it had considered several possible other locations including Asia, eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal.

However, he said, "in the end, we clearly decided to invest here". Mr Altwegg highlighted the quality of Maltese human resources and the support it got from Malta Enterprise as key factors that determined their investment here.