Piramal expands API site in US

Pharmaceutical CDMO Piramal Pharma Solutions (PPS) is to invest about $32 million to expand its former Ash Stevens API manufacturing site at Riverview, Michigan. This will add 2,300 m² of space, including 780 m² of production space.

The expansion includes two new reactors, one of 4,000L capacity in glass-line mild steel and one of 3,000L in Hastelloy; two new kilo labs for process development and GMP manufacture for clinical trials at scales up to 100L; and a 1 m2 filter dryer with glovebox technology. These are all designed to handle potent compounds with OELs of >1 µg/m³.

It is expected to be open in summer 2022 and will create about 20 new jobs, bringing the total to 180. PPS said that this will be its seventh major acquisition or expansion in North America in the past six years.

PPS is part of Piramal Enterprises’ healthcare subsidiary, Piramal Pharma (PPL), which has recently agreed to buy the 49% stake in Convergence Chemicals (CCPL) that it did not already own from Navin Fluorine. CCPL makes speciality fluorochemicals, which PPL uses as a starting material for  anaesthetics production and expects to see grow in the coming years.

Navin Fluorine will take a perpetual licence to the technology for continuing use in speciality chemicals applications. It will continue to supply raw materials to CCPL. Completion of the $880,000 deal is subject to customary regulatory closing conditions.

PPL also includes: Piramal Critical Care, a hospital generics business active in over 100 countries; the Consumer Products division, which sells OTC products in India; and PEL’s joint venture with ophthalmology firm Allergan India and CCPL. In September, the Carlyle Group took a 20% stake in PPL with an investment of $940 million.