Manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | June 10, 2013 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â Biological E Ltd, Hospira and Sotax Group, Schott Pharmaceutical Systems, Valneva SEÂ
A round-up of recent developments in the pharma manufacturing sector, including facility updates from Valneva, Schott and Hospira, plus Sotax’s acquisition of Pharmatron.
European biotechnology company Valneva SE has agreed to sell a clinical manufacturing unit in Nantes to Biological E Ltd, an Indian company specialising in vaccines and pharmaceuticals including low molecular weight heparins. The plant is surplus to requirements in the wake of the merger of Intercell AG and Vivalis SA to create Valneva, and disposing of it will save around €3 million out of annual cost reduction targets of €5-€6 million. Biological E has a longstanding business relationship with Valneva and sells a Japanese encephalitis vaccine developed by the European firm in India under the Jeev brand name.
Schott Pharmaceutical Systems has said it plans to expand a manufacturing facility in Hungary for glass packaging with an investment in the “mid double-digit million euro range” between now and 2016. The first step will be to open a new maintenance facility for overhauling and upgrading production machines that will create more than 30 new jobs at the unit, which is located in the Lukácsháza region of Hungary and currently employs around 530 staff. Production capacity for vials, ampoules and cartridges will also be ramped up over the next few years.
Hospira has been sent a warning letter by the FDA over violations in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) at a manufacturing facility in Chennai, India. The letter says the company failed to establish and follow procedures to prevent microbial contamination of products made at the Irungattukottai plant, which makes sterile injectable drugs. Similar quality defects were discovered at an inspection of Hospira’s plant in Rocky Mount in North Carolina earlier this year, according to the agency. There have been numerous recalls of product made across Hospira’s manufacturing network of late, while customer GlaxoSmithKline launched a lawsuit against the firm earlier this year for supplying poor quality materials.
Sotax Group has acquired Dr Schleuniger Pharmatron for an undisclosed amount, boosting its position in the market for equipment used in the physical testing of pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets, capsules and ampoules. Pharmatron has production facilities in Thun, Switzerland, and New Hampshire in the US and supplies equipment for testing hardness, disintegration and friability and dissolution rates, amongst other things. The Swiss unit will remain a separate entity and operate as Sotax’ physical testing business hub, while the US plant will be incorporated into Sotax’s US operations.
Phil Taylor
