Karnataka Government has given the clearance to the Mumbai-based pharma major Cipla for setting up a bulk drug facility at Bommasandra. The state of the art plant, dedicated to APIs, is coming up at a cost of Rs 85.5 crore and is expected to provide employment to 150 people.

Incidentally, this is Cipla's second facility in the outskirts of Bangalore. The first one, being located on the Old Madras Road in Viroganagara, is engaged in manufacturing bulk drugs & formulations where the bulk drug facility is approved by US FDA.

The latest facility will be on a 30-acre land in the outskirts of Bangalore in Bommasandra on the Hosur Road. It is currently awaiting a formal nod from the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) apart from the approvals like the Consent for Establishment from the Karnataka Pollution Control Board.

Cipla has generated its revenues for investment for its second plant in Bangalore from its own earnings and will not go in for any external borrowings. It is ready to set up the facility, once the necessary clearances are through, informed company sources.

The new plant will be equipped with the latest equipment and will utilise the latest production technology apart from sophisticated effluent processes. The plant will manufacture a new range of bulk drugs in addition to the existing product range.