South African pharmaceutical company Aspen on Monday opened an anesthetic production line dedicated to securing local supplies and meeting the growing global demand for drugs linked to Covid-19.
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The use of general anesthetics has increased since the start of the pandemic, as they are necessary for patients with Covid-19 placed on ventilators in intensive care units.
The Aspen factory in Gqeberha (ex-Port-Elizabth, in the south of the country) has been transformed into a warehouse
"crucial"
for its activity in this field and to constitute
"one of the largest production lines of general anesthetics. to the world, ”
said Aspen CEO Stephen Saad.
$ 204 million
The Durban-based company has invested more than three billion rand ($ 204 million) in the site, making it the largest investment in the pharmaceutical industry in South Africa, which has so far relied on anesthetics. imported. While most of the production will be exported, the company will also ensure the security of local supplies, South African Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel said in the same statement. This activity was implemented at the facility where Aspen began producing Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines in July. The company manages the final stages of manufacturing, known as the
“filling and finishing process”.
Pharmaceutical giants BioNTech and Pfizer have also signed production contracts for similar vaccines with Biovac in South Africa.