Shasun Chemicals & Drugs Ltd is setting up a process development facility in Piscataway (New Jersey), United States. The facility will be scaled to provide direct Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API's) development services in the pre-clinical and clinical trial stages to customers in North America and to extend backend support to the CRAMS partners in the same geography.

This development will further enhance and expand Shasun Chemical's current capacity to provide global clients a seamless range of services from cutting R&D to large scale manufacture, and analytical development. With Piscataway operation being situated at the heart of emerging markets, it will help Shasun Chemicals to expand the offering to existing clients and attracting new clients with a broad range of leading expertise and technologies.

The first phase new facility will be operational from April 2008 and represents significant investment in terms of both long-term financial commitment and the creation of almost 50 new, highly skilled jobs. Further growth is also planned and moving to full capacity from October 2009.

Commenting on the development, Kevin Cook, director (Operations), Shasun Pharma Solutions UK said; "The US facility will allow us to provide North American customers with a local service offering to compliment our existing sites in Europe and India".

Dr Michel Spagnol, chief technology officer of Shasun continued; "The development will also enhance our position as the leading chemistry services provider with both eastern and western facilities".

Vimal Kumar, whole time director, Shasun Chemicals, said, "In terms of our increasing global presence we feels that the strategic position in the North-West United States will also create a number of new opportunities in the rapidly expanding North American market and strengthen its existing global network with a project pipeline expanding across the west coast United States and Europe".