Generics Giant Sandoz Completes Expansion in North Carolina

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Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Dovetailing nicely with the continuing demand for generic drug products, Sandoz has completed a $10 million expansion at its Wilson, North Carolina, Center of Excellence site. The project added 30,000 square feet to the 170,000-square-foot facility. Sandoz is the generic arm of Swiss drugmaker Novartis (NYSE:NVS).

As first reported in Industrial Info Resource's Pharmaceutical Tracker in 2005, the expansion added both product development labs and clinical-scale manufacturing capacity. The Wilson campus has tripled its production from 1 billion units--tablets and capsules--to 3 billion over the past three years. Plans call for another 1 billion units to be added in 2008. Operations at the plant include development, testing, clinical-scale production, packaging and distribution. The site covers all therapeutic categories, including antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines and cardiovascular treatments.

Sandoz received approximately $750,000 in economic incentives for the project, which is expected to add 65 positions to the more than 400 currently employed. The Wilson plant was built in 1994 by Novopharm, which was purchased in 2000 by Teva Pharmaceuticals. After Teva's announcement that it would close the site, Hexal purchased it for use under the name of Eon Labs. Novartis became the owner of both the site and Hexal in 2005, designating it for use by Sandoz.

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