A pharmaceutical company has claimed its new production facility in Spain will help “future proof” HRT supplies amid long-running concerns over shortages.

Besins Healthcare said its new facility in Muel will “help meet the increased demand for HRT products for women across the UK, Europe and beyond”. The factory has opened less than 18 months after construction started in May 2022, with the company saying that pending regulatory approvals it “should be able to provide new supplies by the middle of 2024”.

The company said that with rising demand in the UK and globally over the past two years has given rise to “unforeseen shortages” and a need for “an enormous increase in Besins Healthcare’s manufacturing capacity”.

It added: “The new facility provides a long-term solution, boosting global and European manufacturing output by 30 per cent.

“The first products to be manufactured in the new factury will be estrogen gel (Oestrogel) and progesterone capsules (Utrogestan 100mg and 200mg).”

The factory opening follows the acquisition last year of a site in Belgium “which is now focused exclusively on the production of Besins’ HRT gels,” the company said, adding: “The Spanish and Belgian factories form part of the company’s wider strategy to improve stability of HRT product supply by reintegrating its supply chain, affording greater agency in the complex process of getting these medications seamlessly from the manufacturing plant to patients.

“The new Spanish facility will help robustly future-proof product supply over the next five years.”

Besins Healthcare managing director Del Cohen said: “The cutting-edge facility located in Spain is poised to address the projected demand for our flagship HRT products Utrogestan and Oestrogel.

“Importantly, it offers ample room for potential expansion. This enhanced capacity should instil confidence among UK healthcare professionals regarding the availability of Besins’ HRT medicines in 2024 and beyond.”