Clariant is planning to set up a new healthcare packaging manufacturing plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
To be built in Cuddalore, the proposed plant will see around CHF10m ($9.7m) in investment. It will cater to the growing pharmaceutical packaging market in the country.
Upon completion, the new plant will initially produce desiccant canisters and packets, which are inserted into pharmaceutical packaging to control moisture and protect the stability of the medicine throughout the shelf life.
The desiccant production area will be Clean Room Class 100,000 and certified ISO 8. It will be compliant with all relevant cGMP and US FDA standards, the company claims.
Clariant India region president Deepak Parikh said: "This new manufacturing facility is in alignment with our overall growth strategy in the country. The new facility will enable us to enhance our medical specialties business and offer end-to-end solutions to our existing as well as potential customers.
"Clariant in India is accelerating change and continues to fulfil our commitments to all our stakeholders, as the Indian market stays at the core of Clariant's global focus."
The healthcare packaging products manufactured at the plant will be mainly supplied to globally active generic and branded pharmaceutical companies operating in India, as well as the domestic Indian pharmaceutical market.
The Cuddalore plant, along with the company's plant in Changshu, China and recently acquired healthcare packaging specialist VitaPac, also located in China, helps Clariant in expanding healthcare sector across Asia.
Clariant healthcare packaging, a member of masterbatches business unit, manufactures a full range of controlled atmosphere packaging solutions including pharmaceutical desiccants, equilibrium sorbents, adsorbent polymers, oxygen scavengers and pharmaceutical closures and containers.
Clariant masterbatches senior vice president and general manager Marco Cenisio said: "The significant investment in Cuddalore of our new Healthcare Packaging plant further strengthens our commitment to capture the growth opportunities that exist in emerging markets and specifically in the highly attractive market in India.
"It also highlights the commitment of our business unit to devote a large portion of the capital budget to our Healthcare Packaging business to continue to fund its growth."
Clariant healthcare packaging has recently agreed to partner with FreeThink Technologies to offer predictive modeling for the stability of drugs.
As part of the partnership, Clariant will use FreeThink's analytical services and ASAPprime software tool to model the influence of climatic conditions on packaged drug degradation over time.
Image: The proposed plant will serve the growing pharmaceutical packaging market in India. Photo: courtesy of holohololand / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
