Nicholas Piramal India, a Rs 1400-crore plus Mumbai based pharma company, has announced a new programme to leverage its global strengths in formulation services to further advance its position as a top player in custom development and manufacturing. The company is using InformexUSA to set out its integrated formulation development and manufacturing capabilities and to announce investment in new formulation facilities.

"NPIL is uniquely positioned to offer integrated formulation services at all phases of drug development, from pre-clinical formulations to launch of commercial formulation, and with the additional assets and experience for global launch and commercial supply in final dosage form", says Michael Fernandes, executive director responsible for NPIL Pharma's custom manufacturing business.

"This sets a new and highly competitive benchmark for what CMOs can deliver under the heading of integrated services", notes Fernandes.

Across its early phase (development) and late phase (manufacturing) formulation services, in the UK and India, NPIL has invested approximately US $50 m. over the past three years - and plans a similar investment over 2007-09. The programme includes a new sterile supplies pilot plant due on stream in Mumbai in Q4 2007.

By integrating its capabilities and assets in India and Europe (UK), NPIL Pharma's formulations package now includes API pre-formulation services, formulation development for clinical trial manufacturing and scale-up to commercial manufacture in finished dosage forms - including injectables, solutions, capsules and tablets.

NPIL Pharma's formulation development capabilities now span conventional and new dosage forms including tablets and capsules; sterile injectables; blow fill seal; lyophilised dosage forms; solid dosage forms under very low humidity; solutions; transdermals; sprays and foams.

By 2010, NPIL Pharma aims to be the market leader in pre formulation and formulation development to clinical manufacture of capsules, liquid-filled hard gelatine capsules, tablets, and in sterile asceptic solution and lyophilised injectables.