The Spanish active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) firm’s new facility in Hal Far will make high potency drug actives for clinical assessment and commercial supply and is expected to be fully operational in the second half of the year.
Medichem CEO Ervin Veszprémi cited growing demand from generic drugmakers for HPAPIs adding that: “Our expansion to HPAI field will allow Medichem to offer a broader product portfolio to our customers.”
The firm also highlighted Malta’s patent laws as an important part of its decision to set up the facility, explaining that its “legal and intellectual property (IP) framework allows Medichem to offer first-to-market opportunities to its customers worldwide.”
Malta’s attraction as an API production hub is dependent on two factors: the small size of the market, which means that comparatively few drug patents have been registered in the country; and its broad interpretation of legislation covering research and development.