J B Chem begins tablet production at Daman

The Bharuch-based J B Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (JBCPL) has commenced commercial production of tablets at its facility in Daman this month.

Commercial production of Doktor Mom lozenges at this 100 per cent export oriented unit (EOU) in Daman had already commenced effective September 1, 2003.

The facility is expected to strengthen the company's competitive edge and translate into attractive tax breaks, said JBCPL executive director (production) Kamlesh Udani.

The profits derived from the 100 per cent EOU facility will be totally tax free in the hands of the company until the assessment year 2009-10.

The profits derived from the tablets plant will be tax-free for the first five years and 30 per cent of the profits will be tax-free for the next five years.

The official said the lozenges section of the Daman plant will have a capacity of 200 kgs per hour, which translates to about 200 crore lozenges per annum.

The tablets division, Udani said, will have a capacity of ten crore tablets a month.

Earlier this month, the company had received approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its pharmaceutical (tablets) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) manufacturing facilities at Panoli, Gujarat.

Based on the inspection conducted in October 2003, USFDA had classified these facilities as acceptable for the US market.

The approval will enable the company to explore the large opportunity in the regulated markets in the European and Latin American countries, in addition to the US market.

This will also pave way for the company's future abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) and drug master files (DMFs) submissions.

The Company already has the US FDA approval for its metronidazole facility at the Thane-Belapur area in Maharashtra.

JBCPL plans to set up strategic business units (SBUs) to enter into the high-growth therapeutic segments like neuro psychiatry and oncology with a range of innovative products.

The facility at Panoli is equipped to manufacture various tablets dosage forms to cater to the growing global generics market, Udani said.

"The facility approval endorses JBCPL's sustained commitment to compliance to current good manufacturing practices (cGMP)," the ED said.