Zydus Nycomed API site to start production in December
Expansion of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) capabilities at Zydus Nycomed, a 50:50 joint venture between Zydus Cadila and Nycomed, advances the plant the beyond its original purpose as a provider of key starting materials.
The site was established to provide starting materials used in production of pantoprazole, an API used in a gastrointestinal treatment marketed by Nycomed. Now, with the addition of pantoprazole API production capabilities, the site has end-to-end manufacturing capabilities.
Initially production will be limited to pantoprazole, urapidil and lornoxicam but Zydus Nycomed plans to start manufacturing an additional eight API by 2011.
Pankaj Patel, chairman and managing director at Zydus Cadila, said: “This milestone marks a new beginning in the partnership that has been evolving and growing from strength to strength over the years.”
Expanding production capabilities builds on work done at the joint venture since it formed in 1998 to give Nycomed another API supply source for its portfolio of branded generic products.
Zydus Nycomed intends to have the site audited by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other international regulatory agencies. Completion of this process will make the Navi Mumbai site a global hub for supplying APIs to Nycomed for its branded generic portfolio.
“Having a time-tested and solid partnership in place, like we have with Zydus Cadila, gives me confidence we will continue to achieve our goal of getting medicines that matter to those who need them”, said Håkan Björklund, CEO of Nycomed.
