AOP Health: Strategic Alliances in Life Sciences Secure Europe’s Future

Vienna, September 23rd 2025. In a time of global challenges, rising trade tensions, and structural shifts across key industries, strong European partnerships are essential to reduce dependencies and build lasting resilience. At the German Society for Phlebology and Lymphology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Phlebologie und Lymphologie, DGPL) Congress in Salzburg, AOP Health and RHEACELL present their strategic alliance as a future-oriented model for how cross-border collaboration can drive medical innovation, strengthen regional value creation, and secure long-term access to care. Their collaboration reflects what Europe needs more of: strategic alignment, bold innovation, and the determination to shape the future in a rapidly changing world.

Both companies share a clear mission: to support patients living with complex or underserved conditions. This includes people suffering from therapy-resistant Chronic Venous Ulcer (CVU) leg wounds, a painful condition, assumed to affect several hundred thousand patients in Europe^1,2,3,4,5. Such persistent wounds profoundly reduce quality of life and place a substantial burden on healthcare systems and caregivers.

A partnership that strengthens Europe

While global healthcare supply chains are under pressure, AOP Health and RHEACELL are consciously investing in Europe: in research, in production, and in distribution. Their collaboration not only supports the availability of advanced therapies within the region but also contributes to Europe's economic resilience. In Austria, the life sciences sector already accounts for approximately 7% of national GDP and continues to grow steadily⁶. The sector is also a driver of innovation: life sciences companies in Austria invest over 20% of their revenue in research and development6 – a figure that far exceeds the economy-wide average.

In Germany, the sector has likewise experienced dynamic growth: between 2010 and 2020, the gross value added (GVA) of the life sciences industry increased by 75% – nearly three times faster than the overall economy⁷. Pharmaceutical companies invest approximately 14–16% of their revenue in R&D^8,9, making the sector one of the most research-intensive industries in the country.

Vice President Global Therapeutic Areas

Building on this dynamic environment, AOP Health plans to invest in the coming years to provide treatments for therapy-resistant Chronic Venous Ulcer (CVU) leg wounds and two ultra-rare subgroups of Epidermolysis Bullosa, also known as the disease of "butterfly children".

Closing gaps in care with science and responsibility

The partnership between AOP Health and RHEACELL targets diseases with high unmet medical needs. Chronic Venous Ulcer leg wounds, for example, are often associated with severe physical limitations, social isolation, and high treatment costs. Despite this burden, effective therapeutic options remain limited. This is where the alliance seeks to make a difference: through targeted expertise and medical innovation.

Life Sciences made in Europe: a future-oriented model

The collaboration between a biotech pioneer and an established pharmaceutical company also demonstrates how partnerships can drive impact beyond product development. RHEACELL contributes its innovation strength in the field of regenerative cell therapies, while AOP Health brings its long-standing experience in providing complex therapies across Europe and selected international markets.

Together, they provide a model for how European cooperation can work: strategically independent, medically relevant, and economically meaningful.

About AOP Health

AOP Health is a global enterprise group with roots in Austria, where the headquarters of AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH ("AOP Health") is located. Since 1996, the AOP Health Group has been dedicated to developing innovative solutions to address unmet medical needs, particularly in the fields of rare diseases and intensive care medicine. The group has established itself internationally as a pioneer in integrated therapy solutions and operates worldwide through subsidiaries, representations, and a strong network of partners. With the claim "Needs. Science. Trust." the AOP Health Group emphasizes its commitment to research and development, as well as the importance of building relationships with physicians and patient advocacy groups to ensure that the needs of these stakeholders are reflected in all aspects of the company’s actions.

About RHEACELL

RHEACELL is a leading integrative biopharmaceutical stem cell company with over 20 years of experience based in Heidelberg, Germany. We focus on the development of innovative stem cell therapies for patients suffering from severe immune- and inflammation-related diseases, who have a very high level of suffering and for whom there are currently no adequate treatment options. Our products are based on ABCB5+ mesenchymal stromal cells as a pure active ingredient with a unique mechanism of action - applied topically or systemically, depending on the clinical picture - which enables the targeted control of inflammation and the restoration of normal physiological wound healing.

Press Contact.

Mag. Nina Roth, MAS

Head of Corporate Communications
nina.roth[at]aop-health.com

References:
1. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240711-1
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10588327/pdf/IWJ-20-3906.pdf
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212021113000222
4. https://wounds-uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/content_10182.pdf
5. https://www.altmeyers.org/en/vascular-medicine/venous-leg-ulcer-135787
6. https://biotechaustria.org/wp-content/uploads/BIOTECH-AUSTRIA-Massnahmenpaket-2024-2027_Kurzversion_v20241111.pdf
7. https://qbe.de/media/ghrfzhmm/chancen-und-herausforderungen-im-deutschen-life-science-sektor.pdf
8. „Pharma bei F&E-Quote deutscher Spitzenreiter“ https://www.aerztezeitung.de/Wirtschaft/Pharma-bei-FE-Quote-deutscher-Spitzenreiter-231168.html
9. https://research.handelsblatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Report_Biotech.pdf

Photocredit "AOP Health/Studio Koekart"
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