Krebs unit shut down temporarily

Krebs Biochemicals has temporarily shut down its Nellore unit in view of the closure order issued by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Informing this to the stock exchanges, the company, however, said that "the operations are likely to resume shortly."

The city-based Rs 120-crore bulk actives manufacturer has two manufacturing units "� one at Nellore and the other at Visakhapatnam. Interestingly, the company recently received the approval from US Food and Drugs Administration (US FDA) for Pseudoephedrine and I-Ephedrine products manufactured at its Nellore unit. FDA authorities inspected the facility in September.

The Nellore unit has a capacity to produce about 300 tonnes of Pseudoephedrine/ I-Ephedrine per annum.

Krebs Biochemicals has been exporting these products to the US market for the last several years and they are used in the manufacturing of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.