CAPE TOWN: Pharmaceutical major Cipla has announced plans to set up a biosimilars manufacturing facility in South Africa with an investment of 1.3 billion rand (Rs.597 crore). This will be South Africa’s first biotech manufacturing unit. The announcement was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to Africa. This unit will be undertaken by Cipla’s subsidiary Cipla BioTec, a biotechnology company focused on affordable and accessible biopharmaceuticals.
The factory, which will be located in the Department of Trade and Industries Special Economic Zone of Dube Tradeport in Durban, will manufacture biosimilar drugs made from living organisms and used in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Biosimilars are designed to have the same characteristics as an original biological agent. The construction of the facility is scheduled to start in early 2017. Full operations are expected to commence in the third quarter of 2018. At full capacity, the facility will create up to 300 jobs, primarily in the engineering and biological science fields. This facility will run independently.
