Indian drug firm Kadila Pharmaceutical is building a factory in a suburb of the Ethiopian capital at a cost of 75-million birr ($8,65-million) that is expected to be operational early next year, its Vice President Ajai Agrawal disclosed on Monday.
The factory, under construction at Akaki, 20km south-east of Addis Ababa, is expected to produce drugs mainly for tuberculosis and malaria.
The plant is expected to have a work force of over 150 expatriate experts and local workers initially which would increase to over 250 within a few months.
About three-quarters of the construction of the physical facilities have already been completed, said Agrawal.
The factory aims to produce annually about 20-million bottles of liquid drugs, 240-million packs of tablets and about 110-million capsules of various medicines when it becomes fully operational, he said.
Agrawal said that Kadila Pharmaceuticals Ethiopia plans to export its products to member countries of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) as well as to countries in Central and South America and Europe.
He said the modern pharmaceutical manufacturing concern would have state-of-the-art facilities, including quality temperature control warehouses and cooling rooms.
The drug-manufacturing firm is a subsidiary of Kadila Pharmaceutical in Ahmedabad, in Western India. – Sapa-DPA