AstraZeneca inaugurates global process r&d lab in Bangalore
AstraZeneca has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art process research and development (PR&D) laboratory next to its r&d centre in Bangalore, India.
AstraZeneca has inaugurated a new state-of-the-art process research and development (PR&D) laboratory next to its r&d centre in Bangalore, India.
Built at a cost of US$15m, the PR&D facility, covers 8,000m2 on a 14,200m2 plot and can accommodate up to 75 process scientists, supported by office and engineering staff. This is AstraZeneca's fourth PR&D facility and the only one outside of Europe. The company has two PR&D facilities in the UK and one in Sweden.
The new facility will strengthen the existing global PR&D programmes as well as provide support to the existing drug discovery programme at Bangalore, engaged in finding a cure for tuberculosis. With inputs from r&d about the structure of the candidate drug, the PR&D scientists will design a safe, economical and environmentally friendly way of producing a quality active ingredient in bulk.
'This is an exciting challenge for the skilled and dedicated Indian chemists who have already proved themselves in the generic area,' said Dr Sudhir Nambiar, director, PR&D, AstraZeneca India. 'We plan to recruit additional scientists from the organic, analytical and process engineering disciplines from universities directly or with varying levels of local/overseas industrial experience.'