The Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Ltd (SCDL) envisages a steady leap in its contract manufacturing and API business with plans to develop some new APIs to meet the requirement of formulation needs of its multipurpose plant coming up at Vizag.

The production of new APIs are expected to set off once the pilot facility of the multipurpose plant is operational by September 2007, according to S Vimal Kumar, joint managing director, SCDL. The APIs developed in this plant will be entirely different from the spectrum of Shasun's existing generic and matured drugs portfolio. The company, which has11 DMFs to its credit, is also planning to file five more DMFs during current financial year.

He said that company has signed up for manufacturing the 22 finished dosages, drugs mainly in the area of cardiovascular and Central Nervous System disorders among others with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc, USA and Alpharma USA. The backward integration of manufacturing the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) would be taken up in the Vizag plant.

Shasun's plans are to put up a multi-product (non-dedicated) pilot plant facility, also focusing on Contract Manufacturing Services business, at Vizag as the first phase with an investment of around Rs.45 crore, followed by a multi-product commercial facility with an additional investment of Rs 55 to 60 crore.

"The Vizag plant will produce APIs for the formulations prepared in our own plant, for the companies under CRAMS business. The geographical focus would be regulated markets and we expect regulatory approvals to be in place by June 2008," Vimal Kumar told Pharmabiz. Shasun marked 10 per cent of its sales revenue at total revenue of Rs.370 crore from the CRAMS in FY 2006.