BASF India, a subsidiary of BASF SE, has inaugurated its pharma technical lab at its Innovation Campus Asia Pacific, located in Navi Mumbai. BASF Pharma Solutions Lab, the facility will cater to the fast-growing pharma market in South Asia, especially generic drug manufacturing, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the sector in India.

This pharma technical lab is the fifth application lab in BASF’s global innovation network for pharma solutions, which also includes labs in Germany, North America, South America, and Shanghai, China.

The 200-square-metre application lab boasts technical capabilities in creating and delivering BASF’s functional solutions for drug formulation, especially in solubilisation and instant and modified release. This will enable pharma manufacturers to solve drug formulation challenges such as developing fixed dose combinations, taste masking and temperature- or moisture-sensitive drugs.

Tina Low, VP, BASF Nutrition and Health Asia Pacific said, "This technical lab in Mumbai will provide generic drug manufacturing customers with comprehensive solutions for superior product efficacy. It will also optimise the performance of raw materials in formulation", she added.

BASF has been providing technical services to customers in drug formulation and manufacturing in South Asia since 2008. The upgraded pharma application facility is located within Innovation Campus Asia Pacific, BASF’s biggest research and development (R&D) investment in South Asia. Inaugurated in March of this year, the Innovation Campus Asia Pacific also houses the company’s other existing scientific disciplines. This creates the opportunity for innovation synergies to be able to meet the unique technological needs of diverse customers across South Asia.

"South Asia, especially India, is the largest provider for generic medicines globally; and R&D is a major focus for Indian generic pharma companies, as they continue to move further up the value chain to become more competitive globally. The kind of innovation capabilities at this pharma solutions lab for generic drug manufacturing are crucial to furthering the government programmes aimed at providing universal healthcare in South Asia," said Raman Ramachandran, Head South Asia and CMD, BASF India.