Novartis division Sandoz opens new facility in Maharashtra

Drug firm Novartis India on Thursday said its division Sandoz Technical Operations has inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Maharashtra.

The plant at Kalwe would produce oral cancer medicines for the global market and will play a key role towards enabling the delivery of high-quality cancer treatment, the drug maker said in a statement.

The plant is built to cater to the export markets, with Olaparib tablets, Darolutamide tablets and Lenvatinib capsules being the top molecules to be be manufactured at the site, it added.

The new facility currently has a workforce of 70 people and the company plans to recruit 200 more employees to support the expansion of the production capacity.

''The inauguration of the new production and launch site for Oncology oral solids at Kalwe in India, is a step forward in our constant endeavour to meet the growing demand for generic oral anti-cancer agents across the world and reinforces our position as an industry leader,'' Novartis India Country President Sanjay Murdeshwar said.

Novartis has three legal entities -- Novartis Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Novartis India and Sandoz Pvt Ltd, employing more than 10,000 people.