GEA Lyophil wins multi-million pound Chinese order for pharma freeze drying equipment

GEA Lyophil, part of GEA Pharma Systems, has won a £13m (Euro 15m) order from Zheiiang Hisun Pharmaceutical in China for the supply of freeze dryers with automatic load and unload systems (ALUS).

The order will allow Hisun to expand its operations into formulated pharmaceutical products for oncology and infective diseases.

GEA Lyophil will supply seven freeze-drying systems and five ALUS systems to be used at the new facilities in the Fuyang pharmaceutical valley. They will allow Hisun to focus on the production of anti-tumour, anti-infective, general biologics and anti-TB product for the domestic and export markets. Hisun is planning to invest more than £86m (€100m) in the Fuyang facility making it one of the biggest pharmaceutical production sites in China.

This order will help GEA Lyophil cement its leading role in China in the future. The company already has a major manufacturing facility in Shanghai and an engineering, service and after-sales structure throughout the country.

Hisun has been a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in China for more than 50 years, specialising in the production of APIs for antibiotics and oncology products. Its products include anti-infection, anti-parasite, endocrine regulation, immunosuppressant and antidepressant drugs.