Swiss pharma co plans expansion in India

Hyderabad: Lonza, a $2.5 billion Switzerland-based supplier to pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries, is evaluating prospects in India for manufacturing and custom manufacturing activities.

“We are in the process of looking for a 20-acre site for the expansion in India. The site will be used to build research capabilities initially in the bioscience area, biopharmaceutical area and microbial control area,” Mr Stefan Borgas, CEO, Lonza, said while addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the BioAsia 2009 meet here.

He added that in the second phase they would consider backward integration into manufacturing. The company is exploring at a three to five year project horizon.

“We are looking at several locations including Hyderabad. Another important aspect for the facility is to get skilled biologists and biochemists.

Finally the decision will also depend on the type of support that we get from the local Government,” Mr Borgas said.

According to him, the company would invest between $20-50 million over the next three years on creating the research infrastructure.