NPIL invests further $4m in early phase capacity and capability
Leading custom manufacturer NPIL Pharma has announced an additional investment of US$4m (Euro 2.8m) in its early phase Pharma Development and Scale-up (PDS) business unit.
Leading custom manufacturer NPIL Pharma has announced an additional investment of US$4m (Euro 2.8m) in its early phase Pharma Development and Scale-up (PDS) business unit.
The investment reflects strong early phase demand, fuelled by NPIL Pharma's integrated service offering across early phase API, formulation and clinical manufacturing.
A package of four projects is raising capacity and capability at the Ennore, Chennai facility in southern India - notably to bring a marked increase in cGMP pilot plant capacity. Chennai is NPIL Pharma's lead development phase facility in India.
In July, NPIL Pharma commissioned a new process safety lab, and the following months upgraded existing pilot plant to a cGMP-compliant facility, operating eight reactors with 2,200 litres of capacity.
In a phased programme to year-end, further additions to Chennai's cGMP pilot plant will add eight new reactors with 12,000 litres of capacity. Facilities include an entire process area qualified for manufacturing final API and a Class 100,000 clean room for final API powder processing and packing.
October will bring additions to Chennai's r&d laboratories. A new analytical laboratory is being commissioned, with four new science staff groups increasing the technical team from 25 to potentially 40 personnel.
"This investment package notably expands both our early phase pilot plant and science capabilities in India, adding capacity to meet rising customer demand," said Veronica Scherrer-Pangka, president of NPIL Pharma's PDS business unit. "With major potential for further development, Chennai is a key complement to our European early phase facilities in Morpeth and Huddersfield in the UK and the counterpart North American facility at Aurora, Ontario."
