Mr. Anand Sharma, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India, Inaugurates Plant
Ranbaxy (S.A.) (Pty) (Ltd.) (Ranbaxy S.A.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited today announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Be-Tabs Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Plant, at Roodepoort, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The new facility was inaugurated today by Mr. Anand Sharma, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India, in the presence of the Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Virendra Gupta and representatives from the South African Department of Trade and Industry. This will be Ranbaxy’s second manufacturing facility in South Africa and the third in the African continent.
On the inauguration of the new manufacturing plant, Mr. Arun Sawhney, Managing Director, Ranbaxy said, “Ranbaxy has a long standing relationship with Africa. We were the first Indian pharmaceutical company to set up a manufacturing facility in Nigeria, in the late 70’s. Over the years, we have established a strong presence in 43 of the 54 African countries with the aim of providing quality medicines and improving access. The opening of this new manufacturing facility further emphasizes our commitment towards the African continent and South Africa in particular.”
The new facility, built with an investment of USD 30 million will manufacture Analgesics, Cold, Cough and Flu preparations, Anti-Histamines, Anti-Hypertensives, CNS Drugs, Vitamins and Minerals as well as a comprehensive range of over-the-counter medication. The products manufactured will comprise tablets and hard gelatin capsules that will be supplied to current registered regions.
The design of the new facility is determined by the current tablet and capsule production requirements and the plant is capable of producing approximately 1.75 billion units and packaging of 2.0 billion units, annually. Possible expansion could bring about the addition of new products.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Saxen van Coller, CEO, Ranbaxy S.A. (Pty) Ltd said, “The capacity to manufacture locally will meet the South African government’s intention to strengthen the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and is expected to further the company’s aim of becoming a more significant provider of pharmaceuticals to the State.”
The new facility in South Africa is equipped with the latest technology, meets international specifications and conforms to cGMP standards. It is designed to meet local regulatory requirements (MCC - South African Medicines Control Council) which implies PIC/S (Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention & Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme) and also WHO standards.
Ranbaxy (S.A.) (Pty) Ltd., based in Centurion, South Africa, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited and is ranked No 5 amongst Generic companies. Ranbaxy South Africa is engaged in the sale and distribution of generic prescription products in the South African healthcare system. Additionally, the Company also offers high quality, affordable, generic Anti HIV medicines (ARVs) to the needy patients in Africa, supporting African Government’s in their efforts to control the AIDS epidemic.
Be-Tabs Pharmaceuticals
Be-Tabs Pharmaceuticals strongly believes the company’s strength is in its people, some of whom have been employed for over twenty-five years. With a total of 226 permanent and 260 contract staff employed nationwide, success is largely contributed to this invaluable human resource. Be-Tabs Pharmaceuticals encourages progressive change through supportive upliftment of its employees. With the objective of social responsibility through education, members of staff are identified and enrolled in suitable courses and other training initiatives.
Sonke Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd.
In 2006, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited and Community Investment Holdings (CIH) South Africa entered into an agreement to form a joint venture called Sonke Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd. The Company focuses on marketing Anti-Retroviral (ARV) products in South Africa and other African markets, under the trademark "Sonke". The Company has six anti-retroviral medicines namely Sonke Stavudine 30mg; Sonke Stavudine 40mg; Sonke Zidovudine 300mg, Sonke Nevirapine 200mg; Sonke Lamivudine 150mg and Sonke Lami+ Zido registered with the Medicines Control Council. The products are delivered to patients through government tenders, retail pharmacists, HIV/AIDS Disease Management Companies, Medical Aids, Non Governmental Organisations and Independent Community treatment organizations. The company is backed by Ranbaxy’s continual investment in Research & Development around ARV’s – resulting in its ability to constantly offer innovative products to the market.
Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, India's largest pharmaceutical company, is an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies. Ranbaxy’s continued focus on R&D has resulted in several approvals in developed markets and significant progress in New Drug Discovery Research. The Company’s foray into Novel Drug Delivery Systems has led to proprietary "platform technologies," resulting in a number of products under development. The Company is serving its customers in over 125 countries and has an expanding international portfolio of affiliates, joint ventures and alliances, ground operations in 46 countries and manufacturing operations in 7 countries. Ranbaxy is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Daiichi Sankyo is a leading global pharma innovator, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
