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European CDMOs compared · 2026 census

CDMOs in Germany: 28 compared (2026)

28 of the 255 contract development and manufacturing organisations in A4BEE’s European census are headquartered in Germany. The largest, with revenue over €1bn, are Boehringer BioXcellence and Vetter Pharma. 13 sit between €250m and €1bn and 13 are smaller or niche.

By ownership: 14 family-owned, 5 private equity, 3 listed and 6 part of a pharma or industrial group. The most common capabilities are sterile fill-finish (11), small-molecule API (8), oral solid dose (8), viral vector and vaccine (6) and mRNA and LNP (5). 4 of the 28 rows rest on audited reports or official company disclosures; the rest come from secondary sources or estimates.

Open these 28 in the interactive mapAll 255 European CDMOs

28 companies

CDMOs in Germany

CompanyHQOwnershipSizeRevenue (as reported)ModalitiesData
Boehringer BioXcellenceUp to ~185,000 L mammalian capacity; a strategic pharma-owned biologics powerhouse.BiberachPart of a pharma or industrial groupBoehringer IngelheimTier 1n/d (group €27.8 bn)Monoclonal antibody, Microbial and protein, Sterile fill-finishmedium
Vetter PharmaSterile fill-finish specialist (vials, syringes, cartridges).RavensburgFamily-ownedTier 1n/d (large)Sterile fill-finishmedium
Adragos PharmaFSN Capital 'buy-and-build' roll-up acquiring sites from Sanofi/Fresenius Kabi.MunichPrivate equityFSN CapitalTier 2n/dSmall-molecule API, Sterile fill-finish, Oral solid dosemedium
Aenova GroupMulti-site OSD/softgel/sterile group; acute data-silo profile across 14 sites.StarnbergFamily-ownedKühne HoldingTier 2n/dOral solid dose, Sterile fill-finishmedium
AxploraAPI/HPAPI specialist across German and French sites.MunichPrivate equityTier 2n/dSmall-molecule API, Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)low
BioSpringPrivately held German nucleic-acid CDMO (oligonucleotides — ASO, siRNA, guide RNA — plus mRNA). Fills a modality gap the roster otherwise lacks.Frankfurt am MainFamily-ownedTier 2not disclosedmRNA and LNP, Small-molecule APImedium
Evonik Health CareDrug-substance CDMO for complex APIs, HPAPIs and pharmaceutical lipids (LNP/RNA delivery).EssenListedEvonik IndustriesTier 2not disclosedSmall-molecule API, Peptidelow
Fresenius Kabi Contract Manufacturing'Product Partnering' contract-manufacturing platform for sterile injectables, emulsions, liposomes and biologics.Bad HomburgListedFreseniusTier 2not disclosedSterile fill-finish, Biologics and biosimilars, Small-molecule APImedium
IDT BiologikaViral vaccine/vector + oncolytic virus specialist with mRNA fill-finish.Dessau-RoßlauPart of a pharma or industrial groupSK bioscienceTier 2n/dViral vector and vaccine, Sterile fill-finish, mRNA and LNPmedium
Merck KGaA CDMOLife-Science CDMO arm covering biologics, ADC/HPAPI, viral vectors and LNP (via Exelead).DarmstadtListedE. Merck KGTier 2not disclosedMonoclonal antibody, Biologics and biosimilars, Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), Viral vector and vaccine, mRNA and LNPmedium
Minaris Advanced TherapiesCell & gene therapy CDMO (formerly Minaris Regenerative Medicine / Apceth). Merged with WuXi Advanced Therapies in 2025; Ottobrunn is the European base.OttobrunnPrivate equityAltaris Capital PartnersTier 2not disclosedCell and gene therapyhigh
Rentschler BiopharmaComplex-protein pure-play; exited CGT in 2025 to refocus on biologics.LaupheimFamily-ownedTier 2~US$296 m (2025)Biologics and biosimilars, Monoclonal antibody, Microbial and proteinmedium
Rottendorf Pharma~95-year-old foundation-owned CDMO focused on oral solid dosage forms.EnnigerlohFamily-ownedRottendorf FoundationTier 2not disclosedOral solid dosehigh
SaltigoLanxess custom-manufacturing subsidiary producing APIs, complex intermediates and RSMs at multi-ton scale.LeverkusenPart of a pharma or industrial groupLanxessTier 2not disclosedSmall-molecule APIhigh
VibalogicsSpecialist virus/viral-vector and oncolytic-virus CDMO; PE-backed. German HQ with a US site added later.CuxhavenPrivate equityAmpersand Capital PartnersTier 2not disclosedViral vector and vaccine, Cell and gene therapyhigh
AxolabsOligonucleotide and nucleic-acid CRO/CDMO, part of LGC. Berlin cGMP oligo manufacturing.KulmbachPart of a pharma or industrial groupLGCTier 3not disclosedSmall-molecule API, mRNA and LNPmedium
ChemConcGMP API / fine-chemical CDMO with high-containment HPAPI/cytotoxic capability; FDA-inspected.FreiburgFamily-ownedTier 3not disclosedSmall-molecule APImedium
Hermes PharmaCDMO specialised in user-friendly oral forms: effervescent, orally-disintegrating granules, lozenges, instant drinks.WolfratshausenFamily-ownedHermes ArzneimittelTier 3not disclosedOral solid dosemedium
Klocke Pharma-ServiceContract manufacturing/packaging of solid dosage plus aseptic liquids and lyophilisates.AppenweierFamily-ownedKlocke GruppeTier 3not disclosedOral solid dose, Sterile fill-finishmedium
Losan PharmaCDMO for solids, semi-solids, liquids, sachets and effervescent forms; FDA/ANVISA inspected.Neuenburg am RheinFamily-ownedTier 3not disclosedOral solid dosemedium
mibe ArzneimittelDermapharm's main production site (tablets, sterile ampoules/lyo, ointments); primarily in-house, expanding third-party.BrehnaPart of a pharma or industrial groupDermapharm HoldingTier 3not disclosedOral solid dose, Sterile fill-finishlow
Miltenyi BioindustryCDMO division of Miltenyi Biotec for lentiviral vectors and cell/gene therapies (supplied LVV for Adaptimmune TECELRA).Bergisch GladbachFamily-ownedMiltenyi BiotecTier 3not disclosedCell and gene therapy, Viral vector and vaccinelow
NextPharma GöttingenGerman solid-dosage sites (incl. allphamed Pharbil) of the privately held European NextPharma group.GöttingenPrivate equityTier 3not disclosedOral solid dose, Sterile fill-finishlow
PharmpurIndependent family-owned contract manufacturer of sterile liquids in syringes/vials (ophthalmic focus).KönigsbrunnFamily-ownedTier 3not disclosedSterile fill-finishlow
ProBioGenIndependent biologics CDMO (proteins/antibodies, viral vectors, vaccines); Charité spin-off, founded 1994.BerlinFamily-ownedTier 3not disclosedMonoclonal antibody, Biologics and biosimilars, Viral vector and vaccinemedium
PSMFamily-run aseptic fill-and-finish CDMO; new facility passed EU GMP Annex 1.SchiffweilerFamily-ownedTrennheuser familyTier 3not disclosedSterile fill-finishmedium
Richter BiologicsGerman microbial/biologics CDMO.HamburgFamily-ownedTier 3n/dBiologics and biosimilars, Microbial and proteinlow
Wacker BiotechHalle mRNA competence centre; microbial proteins + pDNA up to 1,500 L fermentation.MunichPart of a pharma or industrial groupWacker ChemieTier 3n/dMicrobial and protein, mRNA and LNP, Viral vector and vaccinelow

Size: Tier 1 (revenue over €1bn) · Tier 2 (€250m–€1bn) · Tier 3 (under €250m or niche).

Revenue, staff and site figures are as reported and mix audited accounts with commercial estimates, which are often wrong for private companies. Each row carries a confidence mark; verify a figure before quoting it.

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