In the US this week, supplier of botanical extracts for the pharmaceutical industry Pharmachem Laboratories announced that it has acquired 'the largest botanical extraction facility in North America, producing extracts for the fragrance, pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries.'
Acquired from the Avoca Division of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco company, the 172,000 sq. ft. facility has a current extraction capacity of 90,000 tons per year, including a continuous-flow Crown extractor with a daily capacity of 5-10 tons.
For the president of Pharmachem Laboratories David A. Holmes, this latest acquisition will not only provide the company 'with the added manufacturing capacities we need for our expanding extraction and drying business'.
But will furnish it with an R&D capability "unmatched in the natural products industry."
Under terms of the agreement Avoca will continue to function as a subsidiary of Pharmachem although the buyer is already planning a major expansion there for increased capacities and technologies. The company added in a statement that the facility meets industry standards for current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) and features on-site storage of raw materials and a cGMP finished goods warehouse.