Lonza and Fosun strike up joint venture in Shanghai

Lonza Group and Fosun Pharmaceuticals will pump $15.6m (100m yuan) into a joint venture in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Industry Zone, China.

Under the deal, API company Lonza and pharmaceutical management contract research organisation (CRO), will manufacture, market and sell a portfolio of generic pharmaceuticals.

And according to Lonza’s head of corporate communications, Dominik Werner, the drugs will be aimed at the China market.

However he remained silent over which drugs would be produced.

He told in-PharmaTechnologist: “The partners have pre-selected a defined promising portfolio of generic pharmaceuticals.

“The joint venture will target a portfolio of generic pharmaceuticals specifically serving China’s pharma market.”

Business as usual

Werner also told in-PharmaTechnologist that the Swiss firm’s existing API operations in China’s Guangzhou Nasha development zone would continue.

The company first established roots in the region back in 2008, in addition to its existing R&D setups in the country.

At the time Werner said that opening facilities in the region was the: “best possible approach to build up a strong in-house engineering competence.”