HIPRA, the multinational Animal Health company, which has its headquarters in Amer (Girona), has reached an agreement with the health authorities that will allow the principal hospitals in the province of Girona to make use of its new facilities (nearly 700 m2 of laboratories equipped with the latest PCR diagnostic technology), thus helping to streamline the management and production of results of tests for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

These are facilities that the company had just finished building at its headquarters as part of its business expansion plan and that it was about to open.

“As an Animal Health company, for us it is a duty and an act of responsibility to make use of all the resources that we have in order to help preserve public health in such exceptional times, hence the need to collaborate by giving over our new diagnostic centres”, the company announced.

The samples received will come from different hospitals in the region and will be processed in accordance with international protocols and the strictest biosecurity and biocontainment measures. Staff from the hospitals, and from various local biotechnology startups who are parties to this agreement, will move to HIPRA’s facilities and will be responsible for the entire process of analysis, whilst the company’s experts will provide support with their knowledge and experience in biotechnology.

HIPRA develops and sells vaccines for animals, and also provides a variety of services for the prevention and control of various animal diseases on livestock farms. It uses the latest PCR analysis technology for the diagnosis of these diseases.

“This type of real-time diagnosis allows hundreds of samples to be analysed in a few hours, backed up by the automation of the process, so we are convinced that this will be of great help” explained the company.

It is estimated that this collaboration will last for 2 or 3 weeks and will remain in force “for as long as the health authorities need our help in the current health emergency”, announced the company.

Helping to produce medical ventilators with 3D printers

HIPRA is also producing components for the manufacture of medical ventilators by 3D printing which will also be supplied to hospitals in the region. This project is being co-ordinated through companies and institutions such as HP, LEITAT Managing Technologies and other public bodies.

The company, that is continuing to produce its animal vaccines, has applied specific safety protocols

The company has anticipated and introduced a whole series of measures to preserve the health of its employees and everyone around them. HIPRA is continuing to manufacture and distribute its medicinal products, which is essential both to ensure the supply of healthy food to the population and to maintain the health of our pets who share our homes.

“We have a duty to keep up our normal levels of production as we make a vital contribution to the food supply chain and to the health of the population with products that are considered to be basic essentials”