Sandoz Canada today announced the opening of its second manufacturing plant in Boucherville, Québec, to meet growing demand for its generic sterile products in Canada and in other markets around the world. The creation of this new plant, along with the modernization of existing facilities in Boucherville, are the final pieces of a CND $80 million investment program, announced last year, that will enhance the company’s production capacity by 66 per cent and give it leading-edge facilities in Canada.

“Sandoz has, in recent years, established itself as a global leader in “difficult-to-make” products, such as the complex sterile products that will be made in this site,” commented Andreas Rummelt, Sandoz CEO. “This new site indicates the company’s commitment to providing our customers worldwide with a wide range of medicines of the highest quality, it reflects on the great team in the site who are producing such good results and is a sign of our commitment to Québec and to Boucherville.”

Pierre Fréchette, President and CEO of Sandoz Canada, added: “We are one of Canada’s fastest growing pharmaceutical manufacturers and this new production plant fits into our growth strategy as a Sandoz Center of Excellence in the manufacture of complex sterile products. It means that we will be able to meet expanding demand for existing products and to launch exciting new medicines.”

To maintain its position as a top performing production facility, 50,000 square feet have been added at Boucherville for manufacturing, warehousing and administrative support. With advanced equipment and three new production lines, the new plant will give Sandoz Canada the manufacturing capacity it needs to keep pace with demand.

“The inauguration of the new site is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by Sandoz Canada employees and reflects the collaboration of suppliers, partners and the local community,” concluded Pierre Fréchette. “We would particularly like to acknowledge the support of Emploi-Québec, which is helping us with the hiring and training of 98 new employees in the highly regulated and very complicated business of sterile product manufacture, as well as with training and development for existing employees at the site.”

The opening of the new facilities was attended by Raymond Bachand, Provincial Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Montreal Region, as well as Francine Gadbois, Mayoress of Boucherville. A number of distinguished guests from the province’s medical, political and business communities were also present.

The Boucherville site has built a strong reputation among the Novartis Group of companies for managing the unique product development challenges associated with generic sterile products. Sandoz Canada develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of generic pharmaceuticals. Its portfolio includes narcotics, sedatives, antibiotics, ophthalmics, hormones treatments, corticosteroids and cardiology drugs that are produced in various dosage forms: injectables, ampoules and vials; ophthalmic solutions, suspensions and ointments; suppositories and oral and topical preparations.

Sandoz Canada employs about 680 people, most of whom are based at the Boucherville facilities.

Sandoz, a Division of the Novartis group, is a global leader in the field of generic pharmaceuticals, offering a wide array of high-quality, affordable products that are no longer protected by patents. Sandoz has a portfolio of more than 950 compounds and sells its products in more than 130 countries. Key product groups include antibiotics, treatments for central nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal medicines, cardiovascular treatments and hormone therapies. Sandoz develops, produces and markets these medicines along with pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances and anti-infectives. In addition to strong organic growth in recent years, Sandoz has made a series of acquisitions including Lek (Slovenia), Sabex (Canada), Hexal (Germany) and Eon Labs (US). In 2007, Sandoz employed around 23,000 people worldwide and posted sales of USD 7.2 billion.