Lupin faces Hurricane Irma impact

Drug maker moves 60 staff from Florida as storm hits state

Lupin has temporarily suspended operations at its research and development centre in Florida and moved the majority of its  60 employees and their families to other parts of the US in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

The action follows the local government order for the mandatory evacuation of over five million residents as Florida prepares to face one of most severe storms in the recent years.

"Lupin has a staff of around 60 employees at its offices in Naples and Coral Springs. Most of our staff and their families have been evacuated and we have ensured assistance to make alternate arrangements for their safety as Hurricane Irma hits the coast.  We hope our facility will be able to withstand the natural impact predicted from the hurricane. However, at this stage, we cannot comment more on what awaits us.We hope all our staff and their families remain safe and normalcy is restored at the earliest," a company spokesperson said.

Lupin derives around half of its revenue from the US and CEO Vinita Gupta is based in Naples, Florida.

In August 2015 Lupin opened its centre for excellence for inhalation research at Coral Springs in Florida with $ 13 million investment. 

The R&D  centre focuses on the development of products for the treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and other lung diseases.