Auctus Pharma API plant in India catches fire

A fire swept through a plant in India, where Auctus Pharma makes active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediaries.

The fire at the plant at Paravada in Visakhapatnam was believed to have started from an electrical short and ignited diesel in a generator room, causing a blast, Pharmabiz reports. No one was hurt but the plant was said to have had damage valued at 1.5 crore ($284,000).

The plant produces Cetirizine Di HCL, Losartan Potassium and fluconazole, Pharmabiz reports. Citing authorities, it said three tanks containing "mother liquid," as well as two other tanks with liquid ignited and then spilled onto a road.  Firefighters managed to control the blaze before it reached bioreactors at the plant.

There have been several fires at API plants in the last year, including some that have left workers dead. Aurobindo Pharma had a fire at an API plant in Andhra Pradesh in November that killed two workers. In May, four people were killed and another 17 injured when a static spark ignited a reactor at an unidentified pharmaceutical plant in the village of Basauli in Punjab.

There was also an explosion and fire in March at the Pliva plant in Croatia, which killed one worker and injured 8 others. That fire also reportedly started from an electrical spark and ignited some ingredients at the plant. Pliva is owned by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries ($TEVA).

- read the Pharmabiz story

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