www.biospectrumasia.com - Dec 07, 2010

Bangalore, Dec 07, 2010: Marck Biosciences, a leading manufacturer and marketer of sterile liquids pharma dosages using the blow-fill-seal (BFS) technology in India; has acquired a large volume injectible facility in Goa (India), and will step up its manufacturing capacity for large volume injectibles by over 33 percent by March 2011.

Marck has acquired the assets of Goa-based Ravish Infusion on a lock-stock-barrel basis for a total sum of $1.22 million (Rs5.47 crore) under auction process, from Debt Recovery Tribunal II, Mumbai (India). Marck has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tamil Nadu, India-based Paragon Steels (Gujarat Inject Kerala Limited) for purchase of its injectibles equipment for Rs 1.5 crore. Marck plans to set up these equipments at the Goa facility.

Marck is a sterile liquid pharmal company engaged in formulation, development, manufacturing and marketing in India, and approximately 77 countries across six continents. It manufactures and markets around 80 therapeutic and non-therapeutic products. The company's therapeutic product groups comprise formulations, fluid therapy, injections, ophthalmics and respiratory care.

Marck’s manufacturing facilities comprises of five Aseptic Blow Fill Seal (ABFS) manufacturing lines and one Aspectic Conventional Plastic Bottle Filling line. The company has also developed the capability to comply with regulatory audits of MHRA (UK), TGA (Australia) and MCA (South Africa) and get their approvals. It has already received approvals from ANVISA (Brazil) and NPCB (Malaysia ) for the small volume parenterals facility.

Mr Bhavesh Patel, managing director, Marck Biosciences, said, “The estimated total global market size for injectibles was approximately $140 billion in 2009. Marck Biosciences is operating above 90 percent capacity, since the past three years, in large volume injectibles. The acquisitions will help Marck Biosciences expand capacity to meet the growing demand. With these two acquisitions, the total capacity for large volume injectibles will increase by 20 million bottles per year.”

Presently, at its 18.4 acres facility at Kheda in Gujarat (India), Marck has an installed capacity to manufacture large volume parenterals of 59 million bottles per annum, as well as small volume parenterals of 226 million vials per annum. The new facility will enable Marck to manufacture large volume parenterals having Euroheads, which the company proposes to market in South East Asia, East and West Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Marck is one of the versatile manufacturers in BFS space, and offers different closure systems, such as nipple head, twist-off, leur-lock and screw types and container fill-volume ranging from 0.5 ml to 1,000 ml. Marck exports to around 77 countries and during the financial year 2009-10, about 31 percent of Marck’s total sales was supplied to export markets.

The new facility in Goa is intended to be built to the World Health Organization's current good manufacturing practices (GMP) specifications, and will enhance Marck’s capacity by an additional 46 million bottles per annum.