Ferring Pharma To Set Up Manufacturing Unit In City

Switzerland-headquartered Ferring Pharma has announced the establishment of another formulation unit in India, at Hyderabad, for manufacturing its product called Pentasa (Mesalazine).

Ferring will invest approximately ? 60 million (about Rs 500 crore) over the next 2-3 years for establishing this facility.

Pentasa is a Ferring product used for the treatment and long-term management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

It is prescribed to treat the mild to moderate symptoms of active IBD and is also used widely as maintenance therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent attacks.

Pentasa is available as tablets and granules (sachets) within Europe and the rest of the world, with the exception of the US. In the US, Shire US sells Pentasa under a trademark license from Ferring. Ferring produces the active pharmaceutical ingredient.

As of 2020 (QYResearch), Ferring was the largest Mesalazine producer in the world. At present, Ferring has only one formulation unit for producing Pentasa, in St Prex, Switzerland, and has now decided to establish another unit in Hyderabad.

The announcement was made after Industries Minister K T Rama Rao's meeting with the leadership of Ferring including Alessandro Gilio (Executive Vice President and Chief Manufacturing and Supply Officer), Armin Metzger (Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer), Francois Hosotte (Vice President Strategic Projects and Engineering) and others at the World Economic Forum, Davos.