Novasep invests EUR 30 million in chromatography plant

Novasep has announced (October) an investment of EUR 30 million to build in Europe what will be the world's largest chromatography plant used for the production of a large volume commercial API (active pharmaceutical ingredient).

The plant will be built on the company’s existing Mourenx site in France and will be operational and validated within 18 months. Both the development of an advanced purification process and the plant expansion within the challenging timescale are results of the sharp increase in the projected demand for a large volume, highly purified API.

The EUR 30 million investment follows two other significant global investments in 2012; the opening of a new 2,000m2 facility in Shanghai, China and EUR three million to expand the Highly Potent API (HPAPI) manufacturing capabilities at the facility in Le Mans, France.

Novasep’s SMB and Varicol(R) continuous chromatography technologies are currently used for commercial scale production of several chiral APIs. The new plant will include Varicol(R) systems with 1,200 mm diameter columns operated at up to 70 bars -the largest ever built in the pharmaceutical industry- and which will integrated solvent recovery systems.

Financial or logistical partners include: the association of local authorities of Lacq, the General Council of Pyrénées Atlantiques, the Regional Council of Aquitaine, the Economic Development Bureau, DIRECCTE Aquitaine, the Prefecture of Pyrénées Atlantiques, the Total Group, and OSEO, France's innovation partner. The plant will leverage the SOBEGI platform's utility supply.