Unlocking New Growth Opportunities
Brenntag’s acquisition of MCE Pharma is laying the foundation for a unique GMP value-added services hub in EMEA – enabling the Essen, Germany-based chemical distributor to redefine how materials and services support the next generation of medicines.
Joakim Rehné, President Pharma EMEA, Brenntag
The Biopharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest-growing segments in global healthcare, driven by innovation, complex regulation, and rising demand for high-quality, customized solutions. Biopharma customers expect more than reliable product supply. They need GMP-compliant services integrated into their manufacturing and supply chain ecosystems.
The Starting Point: a Market on the Move
Brenntag recognized this market shift early. To create lasting value, we are moving beyond specialty ingredient distribution toward a centralized European hub for GMP-certified, value-added services — a foundation that allows us to better serve both customers and suppliers across the biopharma and traditional pharma landscape.
The acquisition of MCE Pharma marks a major step forward on this journey. The Czech-based company offers state-of-the-art GMP facilities, advanced sampling services, and strong expertise in OTC product development, as well as powder blending and down-packing under GMP conditions. These capabilities make MCE Pharma the ideal partner to establish Brenntag’s first full GMP value-added services hub in EMEA — a cornerstone for our biopharma strategy and a key enabler of future growth. The integration of GMP blending and down-packing, along with added warehouse and office space, positions us to meet growing demand while ensuring operational excellence.
But this is more than an acquisition. It is a strategic move that reshapes Brenntag’s role in the life sciences value chain — transforming us from a distributor into a partner who delivers GMP-compliant solutions, formulation support, and supply chain flexibility.
As Gust Desmedt, Global President Pharma at Brenntag, put it: “With the added capabilities MCE Pharma offers, we’re confident that we can serve additional customers with value-added services and meet the needs of our supply partners with specialized bio buffers.”
A Platform for Customers and Suppliers Alike
With MCE Pharma’s expertise now integrated, we can support customers across the entire pharma and biopharma value chain — accelerating innovation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and unlocking new growth opportunities in EMEA and beyond.
Just as importantly, this hub enables us to partner more closely with suppliers. Through co-branded offerings and flexible service models, we provide our principals access to new markets and customer segments that are otherwise hard to reach — creating a win-win platform for growth. Value-added services include:
- A customer-centric model: a one-stop solution that combines distribution, formulation, development and packaging expertise
- Centralized GMP services: integration of GMP blending, down-packing, bio buffer handling and liquid blending in one scalable site
- Manufacturing in ISO Class 7 and 8 cleanrooms:
- GMP Class D cleanroom for large-scale powder blending and packing
- GMP Class C cleanroom for biobuffer preparation and supporting sterile operations
- GDP-compliant temperature-controlled warehouse: 1,500 pallet spaces with automated sampling lines
- Regulatory support: robust testing capabilities for batch quality, purity and consistency
Down-Packing: a Pharma GMP Hub Success Story
A customer from Central Europe approached us with a request: to down-pack powders from 500 kg large bags into 25 kg PE liners placed in cleanroom-compliant HDPE drums. The goal was to ensure full GMP compliance and facilitate cleanroom manufacturing under controlled conditions.
We processed two products – 20 tons of calcium carbonate and 80 tons of magnesium hydroxide – using our GMP-certified down-packing service. The process produced freer-flowing materials, improving handling efficiency and ensuring readiness for direct use in cleanroom environments. By packaging in 25 kg increments, the customer can open only the required amount for each batch, maintaining product integrity and minimizing the risk of contamination.
This project demonstrates how our GMP Hub supports customers with flexible, compliant and efficient solutions, tailored to the precise needs of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Built to Scale, Ready for the Future
The MCE Pharma hub is more than a facility — it is the cornerstone of Brenntag’s biopharma platform. With further investment and service expansion underway, we are creating Europe’s first scalable GMP value-added-services platform that will not only serve the biopharma sector but also strengthen our traditional pharma business.
By combining our global reach with GMP excellence, formulation know-how, and supplier collaboration, Brenntag is redefining what it means to be a partner in life sciences. With this hub, we’re not just adapting to the future of biopharma — we’re helping define it.
