Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Merz visits Sandoz site in Barleben

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, member of the Bundestag, has visited the Sandoz site in Barleben, Saxony-Anhalt. The visit highlights the site's role in supporting medicine supply in Germany and across Europe.

For Sandoz, the visit also sends a signal on the importance of Saxony-Anhalt as an industrial location. The company is positioning the site as part of its focus on industrial value creation and supply security in Europe.

Medicine production as an industrial priority

Resilient supply chains and reliable production capacity remain key issues for the pharmaceutical sector. The visit to Barleben underlines that medicine supply in Europe depends not only on research and market access, but also on stable manufacturing structures.

In this context, Sandoz points to the importance of predictable framework conditions. For companies producing in Europe, political and economic reliability are important factors for maintaining sites over the long term.

Signal for industry and health policy

The visit in Saxony-Anhalt links industrial policy with healthcare policy. The focus is on Europe's ability to ensure reliable access to medicines and on the contribution of regional production sites within international value chains.

For the pharmaceutical industry, the central question remains how manufacturing capacity in Europe can be maintained and strengthened. Supply security is therefore a shared concern for companies, policymakers and healthcare systems.