Kemwell plans biopharma plant in B'lore

Kemwell, a provider of contract manufacturing and development services for pharmaceutical products globally, is building a biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Bangalore.

The Rs 300-crore Bangalore-based company is planning to invest $50 million (about Rs 235 crore) in this facility, and has formed a strategic alliance with German pharmaceutical firm Boehringer Ingelheim for technical and marketing collaboration. Under this, Boehringer Ingelheim will provide technical know-how and marketing support to Kemwell for its contract manufacturing services.

Speaking to Business Standard after the ground-breaking ceremony for the new plant here, Anurag Mathur, vice-president, Kemwell said the 15,000 sq mt greenfield facility is being designed for process development, fermentation, purification and formulation of biologicals for clinical studies. The plant will consist of a cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices)-compliant drug manufacturing facility and, a sterile fill and finish facility for drugs. It will house process development laboratories to support production of protein therapeutics.

Biopharmaceuticals are drugs produced using biosynthesis as opposed to drugs manufactured using chemical synthesis. “Biopharmaceuticals are growing faster than the pharmaceuticals market because they address the therapeutic needs, which otherwise cannot be treated,” said Rolf G Werner, corporate senior vice-president, corporate division biopharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim. Examples for biopharmaceuticals are insulin, erythropoietin, factor 8, monoclonal antibodies and antibody mimetics.

Globally, Biopharmaceuticals is a $70 billion market, growing annually at the rate of 16 per cent, whereas chemical pharmaceuticals, with a market size of $600 billion is growing at 8 per cent. In India, biopharmaceuticals including vaccines is a $1 billion sector.

The advantage of biopharmaceuticals over chemical drugs is that the former are considered to have fewer side effects and they can be developed quickly.