NPIL to upgrade Ennore unit

NPIL Pharma, the custom manufacturing business of Nicholas Piramal India, is planning an additional investment of $ 4 million to upgrade its early phase drug development plant at Ennore, near Chennai, to meet existing demand.

The company has lined up a package of four projects, which include commissioning of a new process safety lab, upgradation of the existing pilot plant, adding eight reactors with 12,000 litres capacity to the pilot plant and setting up of a new analytical laboratory, said sources from NPIL Pharma.

"This investment expands our early phase pilot plant and science capabilities in India," said Veronica Scherrer-Pangka, president, NPIL Pharma Development business unit.

With more potential for further development, the Chennai plant will be a key compliment to our European early phase facilities in Morepath and Huddersfield, the UK and at our site in Ontario, Canada," said Veronica Scherrer-Pangka, president, NPIL Pharma's Pharma Development and Scale Up (PDS) business unit.

NPIL Pharma, among the top-ten pharmaceutical contract manufacturing firms in the world with revenues of about $250 million, has over 200 scientists employed in Chennai, Canada and Morepath, which NPIL acquired about two years ago.