PHARMACEUTICALS
Aspen aims to raise growth with new R1bn drugs production facility in PE
Export plans for the facility dovetail with the government’s vision to make SA a leading exporter of high-tech products
Aspen Pharmacare’s new R1bn high-containment facility at its Port Elizabeth production site will soon be making drugs for treating late-stage cancers, Parkinson’s disease and medicines that prevent organ rejection in liver-and kidney-transplant patients. At full capacity the facility will produce about 3.6-billion tablets a year and package about 3-million bottles a month. Production will start in June. The JSE-listed company with a market capitalisation of more than R100bn is the world’s largest exporter of eye drops to the US and is the largest supplier of generic medicines in SA. It also mass-produces antiretrovirals for the state’s HIV/AIDS programme and for other parts of Africa. Aspen’s export plans for the facility dovetail with the government’s vision to make SA a leading exporter of high-technology products. Its opening precedes a R4.5bn investment at the same complex, set to be completed in 2023. It will cement the group’s place as the world’s second-biggest producer of ge...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.