Polypeptide Laboratories, engaged in supplying peptide products to pharmaceutical and biotech industries, is setting up a plant for producing peptides at Ambernath in Maharashtra. The company is investing Rs 52 crore in this custom synthesis research facility. The construction of project is likely to be completed by May 2007 and commercial production will start after 12 months.

Michel S Verlander, D.Phil., executive vice president told Pharmabiz that "We are planning to expand our business in Europe as well as Asia. We have chosen India for the custom synthesis because in India we are getting very cheap raw materials as well as large market."

Recently Polypeptide has entered into a tie up with Indian pharmaceutical company, Ferring. This US FDA plant will be manufacturing products in various therapeutic areas such as AIDS, allergy, and cancer etc. Polypeptide is extremely careful about the manufacturing facilities of the plant so as to satisfy the customer satisfaction of the clients, he said.

Polypeptide Labs have facilities in Torrance (California), Hillerod (Denmark), Malmo (Sweden), Prague (Czech Republic) and Wolfenbuttel (Germany). The company's main facility is located at California and around 40 per cent revenue is coming from the Sweden, 30 per cent from US and 15 to 20 per cent from the Denmark and other countries.

Polypeptide Labs offers a number of generic peptides, produced on an industrial scale under cGMP. The company is doing contract manufacturing for Eli Lilly, Merck, AstraZeneca, Novartis, etc.

Polypeptide group employs 40-45 scientists worldwide at its subsidiaries at US, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic and Germany. Polypeptide has good competition in the field of custom synthesis from Bachem and UCB-Lonza.