2 August 2017

BASF expands technical lab for pharmaceutical application and technology development in South Asia

  • Upgraded facility in Mumbai, India, focuses on technical innovation and new application scouting
  • Supports fast growing generic pharmaceutical manufacturing market in South Asia
  • Part of BASF’s global and regional innovation network

Mumbai, India - August 2, 2017 – Today, BASF India Limited, subsidiary of BASF SE has inaugurated its pharma technical lab at its Innovation Campus Asia Pacific, located in Navi Mumbai, India. Named “BASF Pharma Solutions Lab”, the facility will cater to the fast-growing pharmaceutical market in South Asia, especially generic drug manufacturing, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the sector in India.

This pharma technical lab is the fifth application lab in BASF’s global innovation network for pharmaceutical solutions, which also includes labs in Germany, North America, South America, and Shanghai, China.

The 200-square-meter application lab boasts technical capabilities in creating and delivering BASF’s functional solutions for drug formulation, especially in solubilization and instant & modified release. This will enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to solve drug formulation challenges such as developing fixed dose combinations, taste masking and temperature- or moisture-sensitive drugs.

“We see rapidly rising demand and great opportunities for pharmaceutical solutions in Asia. With our strength in innovation and our comprehensive range of high-quality solutions, we help our customers to meet rising quality and regulatory standards as well as to capture opportunities against increasing competition,” said Tina Low, Vice President, BASF Nutrition & Health Asia Pacific. “This technical lab in Mumbai will provide generic drug manufacturing customers with comprehensive solutions for superior product efficacy. It will also optimize the performance of raw materials in formulation”, she added.

BASF has been providing technical services to customers in drug formulation and manufacturing in South Asia since 2008. The upgraded pharmaceutical application facility is located within Innovation Campus Asia Pacific (Mumbai), BASF’s biggest research and development (R&D) investment in South Asia. Inaugurated in March of this year, the Innovation Campus Asia Pacific also houses the company’s other existing scientific disciplines. This creates the opportunity for innovation synergies to be able to meet the unique technological needs of diverse customers across South Asia.

“South Asia, especially India, is the largest provider for generic medicines globally; and R&D is a major focus for Indian generic pharma companies, as they continue to move further up the value chain to become more competitive globally. The kind of innovation capabilities at this pharma solutions lab for generic drug manufacturing are crucial to furthering the government programs aimed at providing universal healthcare in South Asia,” said Raman Ramachandran, Head South Asia and Chairman and Managing Director, BASF India Limited.

BASF creates chemistry for a sustainable future offering intelligent solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for over 80 years. With its expertise in polymer chemistry, R&D capabilities and its commitment to developing excipients, BASF creates solutions for Instant & Modified Release, Solubilization, Softgels, Skin Delivery and Biologics. BASF is one of the leading suppliers of selected APIs such as ibuprofen and omega-3 and the inventor of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

About BASF’s Nutrition & Health division
BASF Nutrition & Health provides a comprehensive product and service portfolio for the human and animal nutrition, pharmaceutical and flavor & fragrance industries. With innovative solutions and modern technologies, we help our customers improve their business efficiency and the sustainability of their products. Our human nutrition solutions include vitamins and carotenoids, plant sterols, emulsifiers and omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamins and carotenoids also form an important part of our animal nutrition portfolio, as do other feed additives such as trace elements, enzymes and organic acids. We provide the pharmaceutical industry with a broad range of excipients and selected large-volume active pharmaceutical ingredients such as ibuprofen and omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, we offer aroma ingredients such as citral, geraniol and L-menthol. BASF Nutrition & Health operates sites in Europe, North America, South America and in Asia Pacific. For more information, go to www.basf.com.

About BASF in India
BASF has successfully partnered India’s progress for more than 125 years, with all global businesses maintaining a presence in India today, except for Oil & Gas. At the end of 2016, BASF in India had 2,356 employees at ten production sites & ten offices, as well as two R&D centers, located in Mumbai and Mangalore. In 2016, BASF registered sales of approximately €1.1 billion to customers in India. Further information is available on the Internet at www.basf.com/in.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

(From left) Tina Low, Vice President, BASF Nutrition & Health Asia Pacific, and Raman Ramachandran, Head South Asia and Chairman and Managing Director, BASF India Limited.

(From left) Tina Low, Vice President, BASF Nutrition & Health Asia Pacific, and Raman Ramachandran, Head South Asia and Chairman and Managing Director, BASF India Limited.

Last Update 2 August 2017