Kemwell boosts capacity with Sweden plant

Indian CMO Kemwell says new manufacturing plant in Sweden will help meet customer demand for European production capacity.

The plant, on the Uppala Business Park, is a 31,000 sqm plant that will significantly increase tablet, capsule and suppository manufacturing capacity when fully operational later this year.

Kemwell AB CEO Agneta Bergvall told Outsourcing-pharma that: “Existing and potential new customers ask for production in Europe and we can also see other synergies in the company out of the existing production.”

She added that the type of “production [undertaken at the plant] will also depend on new business received,” going on to say that “at present we have discussions with several international and domestic pharmaceutical companies.”

Bergvall also stressed the ability to customise manufacturing operations at the plant as another of its key advantages, explaining that: “Flexibility in production is one of the topic demands of today from the market.”

Swedish real estate firm Klovern, which leased the facility to Kemwell for 16 years, said that the CMO “is already conducting laboratory operations” at the new plant and will also lease an adjacent office building.

Kemwell joined Sweden’s drug manufacturing sector with the acquisition of a facility formally owned by Pfizer in 2006 as part of an effort to develop a presence in Europe.

And, looking forward, Bergvall said that the CMO “is open to and pursuing more acquisitions in Europe and US” as part of wider plans to remain competitive in contract manufacturing the sector.