News

Strategic alliance with Codexis


17 February 2010

Customers will benefit from cheaper, cleaner and greener processes

(AHMEDABAD, INDIA), February 17, 2010 – Today, the Dishman Group announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Codexis, Inc. a California based biotechnology company.  This strategic partnership covers the use of Codexis’ proprietary enzymatic biocatalysis technology for the manufacture of building blocks, intermediates and APIs for innovator pharmaceutical companies.  Dishman will be a preferred contract manufacturer for Codexis and will be able to offer the technology to its own customers.  In addition, the companies will work exclusively on certain select accounts. 

 

Codexis offers a wide selection of enzymes for the pharmaceutical synthesis of chiral compounds. With the majority of today’s drugs containing at least one chiral centre, this technology is directed at the very heart of pharmaceutical manufacture.  In comparison to traditional chemical synthesis, this technology offers a number of significant advantages: cost reduction compared with conventional complex transformations as a result of telescoped processes, increased specificity gives improved yields and often improved impurity profiles, significant reduction in environmental impact through reduce use of organic solvents and reduced energy processes.

 

This alliance will benefit Codexis and its customers by enabling Codexis to offer production of both intermediates and final APIs in Dishman’s world-class manufacturing asset base.  “We are delighted to be working with Codexis on this innovative technology.  It adds another dimension to the already extensive portfolio of services offered by the Dishman Group.  Our customers will benefit from cheaper, cleaner, greener processes manufactured in a low cost environment, a significant differentiator given today’s regulatory and market conditions ” said Nick Green, President Dishman CRAMS.

CARBOGEN AMCIS AG Opens New High-Potency Manufacturing Unit

in Ahmedabad, India
27 January 2010

BUBENDORF, Switzerland (Jan. 27, 2010) — CARBOGEN AMCIS AG today inaugurated its new High-Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) facility. Located on the site of its parent company, Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Ltd., in Ahmedabad, India, the new facility is the first of its kind to be opened in India, and one of only a few such facilities worldwide.

 

 

The inaugural event, hosted on Jan. 27, 2010, was attended by 200 people, including customers, staff and members of the local business community. The facility was opened with the help of Dr. Nigel Courtenay-Luck, a leading oncology researcher, co-founder of Antisoma, senior lecturer at Hammersmith Hospital, London, and founder of Saturn Biosciences.

 

The facility’s large-scale capacity (currently up to 1,600 L) will be capable of producing multi-tonne quantities of highly potent APIs (down to < 1 µg/m3 OEL). It is expected that most of the products will be in support of the growing demand for large volume oncology products, although there has been considerable interest in cardiovascular and central nervous system-related production.

 

“Combining CARBOGEN AMCIS’ experience in the High-Potency area with the established infrastructure and support systems on the Dishman Bavla site make this a truly unique offering for customers,” said Jay Vyas, managing director, Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Ltd.

 

“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Charlie Johnson, High-Potency business manager for CARBOGEN AMCIS. “We are now able to offer customers first-class, engineering-controlled, Highly Potent API production across two continents. CARBOGEN AMCIS’ customers will benefit from economies of scale as their API demands grow. We also will be able to offer competitive production of API to support life-cycle management.”

 

The new facility extends the capacity of CARBOGEN AMCIS’ existing High-Potency API facilities in Bubendorf, Switzerland.

Dishman appoints Chris Oates as Chief Operating Officer


4 January 2010

New Role Will Oversee Dishman Indian and Chinese Facilities

 

Dishman Group of Ahmedabad, India, a leading products and services provider to the pharmaceutical industry, has announced the appointment of Chris Oates to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Oates will report to Nick Green, President of the Dishman global contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) business.

 

Oates will assume responsibility for Indian and Chinese operations within the company. He will be managing the development, operation, and improvement of the systems in the two manufacturing sites in India (Bavla and Naroda) and the new Shanghai facility which is due for completion mid-2010. In addition to the units in Naroda and China, Oates will be responsible for the 9 operating units at Bavla, including a large scale high potency facility which will be inaugurated at the end of January. The new state-of-the-art high potency facility will extend CARBOGEN AMCIS’ manufacturing capacity to multi-tonne scale and will be the first of its kind to be located in Asia.

 

Oates’ experience combines both production and operational roles in the contract manufacturing arena. He will play a pivotal role in expanding the company’s core CRAMS business.

 

Oates holds a bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry from the University of Huddersfield in the UK. His expertise is built on more than 20 years working within the pharmaceutical industry. He most recently served as Managing Director of Uquifa Mexico. His previous experience includes 6 years at Avecia Pharmaceuticals in the UK where he held the position of Operations Manager and as the position of Senior Production Manager for Syngenta (Agrochemicals).

 

“I am looking forward to taking up this new challenge and am very excited by what I believe will be a very successful future for the company” said Oates. “Dishman can provide the full continuum of services, from process R&D to large-scale commercial manufacturing, in multiple locations around the globe. The company is ideally placed to build upon its success to date and become the industry leading CRAMS partner.”

 

New high tech laboratory for Dishman Netherlands

Strong commitment of Dishman
27 November 2009

Strong commitment of Dishman to new Vitamin D analogs & HiPo APIs

The new high containment cGMP laboratory of Dishman Netherlands was opened formally on November 27th by Mr. Jay Vyas, Chairman and owner of the Indian Dishman Group.

Important attendees include the Serbian ambassador Mr. Cedomir Radojkovic, and different representatives from such multinationals as Pfizer and Solvay.

This project was realized with the support of several companies:  Van Spanje, Techtron, Cleangrad, de Van Looy Group, Termovent and Waldner Benelux. 

Dishman Netherlands has accomplished the construction and validation of a full cGMP production laboratory for APIs in Veenendaal, The Netherlands. The laboratory consists of 6 dedicated clean rooms with a scale of operation of up to 1 kg in addition to all standard laboratory facilities. FDA compliance audit is expected in H1 of 2010.

The decision to build this production laboratory is part of Dishman’s strategy to develop new Vitamin D analogues and high potential API’s to complement the current product portfolio.  Furthermore, to develop business opportunities with new business partners:  for contract research, product development and contract manufacturing.  

Dishman Netherlands currently offers vitamin D analogues such as alfacalcidol, calcifediol, calcitriol, & dihydrotachysterol-2. Our other products include Vitamin D3 and D2; cholesterol and lanolin alcohols. Vitamin D and vitamin D analogs are used in the food, feed and pharmaceuticals industries. Vitamin D analogues are used in the combat against Psoriases, Osteoporosis and rickets. Cholesterol is used in diverse applications such as drug delivery systems, cosmetics, animal nutrition (Shrimps) and liquid crystals.  Lanolin oils are used in cosmetics (Dusoran) and also for the treatment of leather.

The opening of this laboratory in the midst of an economic recession is a sign of the strong commitment which the Dishman Group has to its Dutch subsidiary. 

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More information can be found at www.dishman-netherlands.com

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Profile

Dishman Netherlands (www.dishman-netherlands.com) location in Veenendaal was founded in 1946. It was taken over by the Indian Dishman Group from the Belgian company Solvay pharmaceuticals in November 2007.

Dishman Group (www.dishmanGroup.com) is headquartered in Ahmedabad, India and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). In 2008/09, Dishman had sales of over US$230m. Dishman Group is a global outsourcing partner for the pharmaceutical industry offering a portfolio of development, scale-up and manufacturing services.

The products and services offered span customers’ needs from chemical development to commercial manufacture and supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

 

 

 

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