Seroquel demand triggers AstraZeneca investment
AstraZeneca has announced a £37m cash injection at its Macclesfield, UK, site, to meet rising demand for the antipsychotic drug quetiapine (Seroquel). The investment will fund the construction of new tablet formulation facilities, which will also be used for other drugs in the company's portfolio.
The project has two stages, the company says. A general purpose tablet granulation facility, costing £26m, is currently under construction, while work will soon begin on an £11m tablet compression facility.
The new plant, scheduled for completion next year, will employ 20 people in operational and maintenance roles.
The investment takes account of rapid growth in the antipsychotic drug market. Seroquel sales for the first nine months of the year were 83% higher than the same period of 1999, at US$231m. Launches are scheduled in Japan and across Europe for this year, which are expected to send sales higher still. 'The investment will ensure that we have the necessary capacity to meet future global demand,' explains Barrie Thorpe, executive vice president for global operations.