ScinoPharm joins a growing list of CMOs and CROs expanding in Asia, with the difference being that for ScinoPharm Asia is its home turf.
The Taiwanese contract manufacturer is building a $37.6 million plant in Tainan to manufacture high potency cytotoxic compounds to be used in injectable cancer drugs. ScinoPharm says construction will begin this year and is projected to be completed in 2014.
"The global demand for oncological injectable production capacity far exceeds the supply," Dr. Jo Shen, ScinoPharm's CEO, says in a statement.
The facility will include areas for R&D, quality control, washing, sterilization, manufacturing, filling, lyophilization, packaging, and storage. One line will be dedicated to oncological production for both liquid and freeze-dried vials and another for noncytotoxic prefilled syringes.
The company, which provides custom synthesis for early phase work for brand drug development and APIs for generics, has research and manufacturing facilities in Taiwan and mainland China.
As the branded and large generic drugmakers expand in China, the CMOs and CROs that service them are expanding as well. Eli Lilly ($LLY) recently said it has invested $20 million so that Chinese CMO Novast Laboratories could expand its drug manufacturing to help meet Lilly's growing needs in China. Swedish CMO Recipharm is reportedly shopping there for expansion possibilities, while Quintiles recently announced plans for a new regional headquarters in Shanghai.
Taiwan has attracted its share of development as well. Tax incentives and an efficient, streamlined drug-approval process have attracted the likes of Chiltern and Sigma-Aldrich ($SIAL).
- here's the release