Evonik steps up pharmaceutical research in India
Evonik Industries, of Essen in Germany has expanded significantly the r&d centre it opened just five years ago in Mumbai, India.
Evonik Industries, of Essen in Germany has expanded significantly the r&d centre it opened just five years ago in Mumbai, India.
The complex will also house the offices for the regional management of the group's 11 business units active on the Indian subcontinent, a region that includes Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
The Mumbai r&d centre, which also accommodates the technical service and marketing departments of Pharma Polymers, a business line of the Specialty Acrylics Business Unit, has in the last few years become one of the major cornerstones of the global EUDRAGIT controlled release polymers business.
After the US, India ranks second worldwide in both the number of pharmaceutical factories and the production of so-called generic drugs.
In its laboratory space, which has been enlarged from about 600 to 1,200m2, Pharma Polymers will develop EUDRAGIT formulations and drug delivery technologies such as EUDRAMODE.
The enlarged laboratory's equipment includes fluidised bed coating units and drum coaters, tablet presses and dryers, and analytical capabilities for testing disintegration, resistance to breaking, hardness, and stability.
At its improved site, Pharma Polymers plans to support its customers in the hot-melt extrusion segment, too, and to offer seminars and training.
"By making this move, we're addressing the rapid growth of the Indian pharmaceuticals market, from which our business has profited immensely in the past years," said Dr Alfred Oberholz, member of Evonik Industries" executive board. "With our innovation and know-how, we're well prepared to have a share of this growth, both now and in the years to come."