The Ahmedabad-based Dishman Pharmaceuticals would invest Rs 40 crore for setting up a new manufacturing unit at China as per the US FDA standards. The new manufacturing facility is located at Shanghai Chemical Industry area and is expected to be commissioned in August 2008.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, Janmejay R. Vyas, managing director, said, "We are putting up new manufacturing facility at China especially for the API purpose. In our new facility we will be doing contract manufacturing activity for our US, Japanese and European customers. We already have wide therapeutic presence in the cardiovascular, oncology and ophthalmology segment".

At present, company has two manufacturing facilities in India at Bavla and Naroda. Its state of the art R&D centre is located at Bavla facility. It has a cGMP pilot facility, which will comprise of the latest type of analytical instruments in R&D and sophisticated equipment in the pilot plant. The R&D centre has eight contract research and development units and 200 R&D scientists, which will be working in this centre on a 3-shift basis on synthetic chemistry.

Dishman has gradually moved up the value chain from chemicals supplier to a full service CRAMS player through organic and inorganic initiatives. With the acquisition of Swiss based research company Carbogen-Amcis (CA), the company is able to offer the service across the CRAMS value chain and strengthen its position in high margin contract research space. CA is a pharmaceutical service provider, offering a broad portfolio of drug development and commercialization services to large and mid-sized pharma companies. In the contract manufacturing area it has strength in two areas, APIs for drugs under patent and drug intermediates. The company has experience in the process innovation, as well as able to provide required manufacturing facilities.

"CA currently has three projects under phase-III development, which are likely to get commercialize in next 1-2 years. We expect this business to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16 per cent over next three years", Vyas added.

The company has entered into a long term agreement with some global pharma majors like GSK, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Novartis, Merck, J&J, etc., for both on-patent as well as off-patent supplies of APIs and intermediates. its 75 per cent revenues come from the US market.