“Crucell is as solid as a rock. This year we had a huge increased in our turn-over. Within a couple of years we will make a profit.” Financial director Leon Kruimer of the biotech company at Leiden is very optimistic. The results that were published last Tuesday does not confirm this optimistic outlook. Through acquisitions the company could triple its turn-over but the loss of Crucell was at the end of 2006 nearly 90 million euro. In 2005 that loss was 15.6 million euro.

“In 2006 we have made three large acquisitions. Our original research driven organisation has now an industrial infrastructure with sufficient capacity for the production of vaccines and an extended sales department. The acquisitions are fully integrated in the company, all research activities are based in Leiden. That integration has cost money, partly one time. Buildings had to be written of before their time was due, projects were cancelled. From now on we will score.”

“We have all that it takes to become a mediate size vaccines organisation. At the moment we are number 6 in the world as comes to turn-over. We have a very interesting vaccines portfolio. We develop vaccines against important infectious deceases, like TBC, pandemic flue, and HIV. That market is very growing. We are right on track to become a billion euro company. In 2007 the turn-over will increase to at least 200 million euro.”

Source: Volkskrant