BASF to spend €200m to up ibuprofen capacity in Europe and US
The German chemicals firm described the new facility – which is due to be operational in 2021 – as the “first world-scale ibuprofen plant in Europe.”
BASF said the Texas plant expansion is designed to "fill current supply gaps for ibuprofen in the market" adding that the "expansion will come onstream in early 2018."
The company said it will invest approximately €200m ($227m) in both projects.
Ibuprofen is one of only a handful of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that BASF still makes.
The firm sold most of its drug ingredient portfolio and several manufacturing facilities to Swiss firm Siegfried Holdings in 2015. The only APIs that BASF retained, in addition to ibuprofen, were its portfolio of omega-3 based actives.
BASF declined to disclose its current ibuprofen production capacity when contacted by in-Pharmatechnologist, but did say it "is a market leader for Ibuprofen in regards to sales and total capacity."
The firm also told us "the investment will create in Ludwigshafen additional jobs that number in the range of the middle double digits."
API business
BASF's remaining API business had a mixed 2016.
In July last year the firm reported that lower demand for drug actives had seen sales volumes dip in its nutrition & health division.
However, in its full year report BASF said the division had seen sales volumes increase, explaining that "demand grew, especially in the pharmaceuticals and animal nutrition businesses."
