NEWS | Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Malta opens doors to leading Indian pharmaceutical company

Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo Pharma Limited has announced that service operations will commence in Malta in mid-2008 followed by manufacturing operations. The Malta plant is expected to employ 120 persons.
Aurobindo is a publicly-listed company which is amongst the top 5 in the pharmaceutical sector in India, the country that is set to produce 20% of the world’s pharmaceutical products.
The company is a global operator with a turnover for 2007 that exceeded half a billion US Dollars. Aurobindo owns 11 subsidiary manufacturing companies, operates in over 100 countries, markets more than 250 formulations and employs in total around 7,000 globally, with more than 700 researchers in India.
The company has a strong global presence in the therapeutic segments of anti-infectives, anti ritrovirals, cardio vasculars and central nervous systems. To consolidate and strengthen their presence in Europe, Aurobindo has decided to invest in a manufacturing and services operation in Malta, that will serve as a hub for all European markets.
In the Malta project, Aurobindo will invest around €10 million in the manufacture of pharma finished formulations and the provision of services, including lab testing, quality assurance and the testing of pharma products for quality release on to EU markets. The company in Malta expects to reach a sales figure of €26 million in the 5th year and will then employ 120 people.
Aurobindo will start operating this year from an existing factory in Hal Far. At the same time, construction of new manufacturing premises also in Hal Far Industrial Estate will start to enable the company to expand into these facilities by 2010.
Aurobindo has chosen Malta as their major European base, from where it plans to expand its European market share. The growth of the Malta project will therefore take place in tandem with the realization of the company’s expansion plans in Europe.
Minister Austin Gatt remarked the presence of Aurobindo in Malta is an important milestone in the success of the pharmaceutical sector in our country. Aurobindo is a role-model company with a global reputation, expected to encourage other major names in the pharmaceutical sector to select Malta as their manufacturing base.
The fact that Malta is a Member of the European Union, a member in the Eurozone, as well as capable of providing the well qualified human resources and a supportive legislative framework - were key to Aurobindo’s decision to locate in Malta.
The pharmaceutical sector already employs over full time 800 people and is expected to grow, to employ over 1,400 in the next 3 years.