www.pharmabiz.com - Dec 07, 2010

Marck Biosciences, India's leading manufacturer and marketer of sterile liquids pharmaceutical dosages using the Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) technology, has acquired a large volume injectible facility from Goa-based Ravish Infusion. 

With this acquisition, Marck plans to set up its manufacturing capacity for large volume injectibles by over 33 per cent by March 2011. Marck has acquired the assets of Ravish Infusion on a lock-stock-barrel basis for a total sum of Rs.547 lakhs under auction process from Debt Recovery Tribunal II, Mumbai.

The Goa 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 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 1000 ml. Marck exports to around 77 countries and during the financial year 2009-10 about 31 per cent of Marck's total sales was supplied to export markets. 

Along with this development, Marck has also signed an MoU with Coimbatore based Paragon Steels (Gujarat Inject Kerala Limited) for purchase of its injectibles equipment for Rs.150 Lakhs. Marck plans to set up these equipments at the Goa facility. 

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 per cent capacity since last three years in large volume injectibles. This acquisitions will help us to expand capacity to meet the growing demand. With these two acquisitions, the total capacity for large volume injectibles will increase by 200 lakhs bottles per year." 

Marck has recently filed a Draft Red Herring Prospectus for Public Issue of 1,30,00,000 equity shares of face value Rs.10/- each through book building process. Marck plans to utilise the partly net proceeds of the IPO for setting up a sterile liquid manufacturing plant, for fluid therapy and formulations and partly for corporate needs and partly for issue expenses. The facility is intended to be built to WHO cGMP specifications and will enhance Marck's capacity by an additional 462 lakhs bottles per annum.

Presently at its 18.40 acres facility at Kheda in Gujarat, Marck has an installed capacity to manufacture large volume parenterals of 596 lakh bottles per annum as well as small volume parenterals of 2265 lakh vials per annum. 

Marck Biosciences is a rapidly growing sterile liquid pharmaceutical company engaged in formulation and development, manufacturing and marketing in India and approximately 77 countries across six continents.