US pharma intermediates facility for Eastman

14 July 1997 00:00  [Source: ICB]

Eastman's fine chemicals division is set to spend more than $50m on a pharma intermediates facility in the US, the division's Robert Morrow reveals.

Eastman Chemical intends to invest more than $50m to build a custom fine chemicals complex in the US to produce pharmaceutical intermediates and bulk actives to Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) standards.

A study looking at the economic feasibility, location and development schedule is under way.

The plant's capacity will depend on its configuration but the facility is likely to require more than 50 operators, said Robert Morrow, vice president of Eastman's fine chemical business.

Eastman hopes to start construction of the facility next year with completion likely to be early in the year 2000. The study will also consider potential North American sites including Eastman's facilities at Batesville, Arkansas.

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Morrow said that Eastman plans to set up manufacturing alliances with pharmaceutical companies which can then outsource production.

The facility will produce basic chemical raw materials, fine chemical intermediates including epoxy-butene (EPB) derivatives, and non-active additives for the growing excipients business.

However, it will not produce EPB which uses a different type of manufacturing technology, explained Morrow. Eastman is considering a commercial-scale EPB plant but it is unlikely to make a decision for some months.

At the beginning of this year, Eastman brought a semi-commercial EPB plant of 1360 tonne/year onstream at Longview, Texas (ECN 27 January 1997, page 26).

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