Altana's Mumbai centre

German pharmaceutical major Altana Pharma AG, which has set up its fully-owned R&D subsidiary in India, has opened its new chemical and clinical research centre in Mumbai.

The firm, which has invested about Euro 10 million (about Rs 90 crore), has a research team of about 25 at present. Once fully operational, it will have more than 150 employees in 18 laboratories.

The R&D centre is expected to synthesize up to 3,000 top-quality compounds per year, develop advanced intermediate products, building blocks and new routes of synthesis.