Day: June 21, 2021

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Centrient Pharmaceuticals boosting statins API manufacturing capacity

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Summary:

  • Centrient Pharmaceuticals has started production at its newly built statins API manufacturing unit in Toansa, India.
  • With this expansion the company is doubling its production capacity of Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin, meeting the increased demand for its high-quality uniquely produced statins.
  • Centrient Pharmaceuticals’ statins are one of the most sustainably produced in the industry by eliminating harmful solvents, generating less waste, and a reduced carbon footprint of 32% as compared to traditional manufacturers.
  • Using backward integrated manufacturing methods, and dedicated production facilities, Centrient Pharmaceuticals is able to offer its customers security of supply.

Centrient Pharmaceuticals (“Centrient”), the global leader in sustainable antibiotics, next-generation statins and anti-fungals, announced today to have started production at its new statins manufacturing unit. With the building of its second dedicated unit on the Toansa site in India now completed, the company will double its statins production capacity. This will enable Centrient to meet growing demand for its sustainably manufactured Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).

Statins are currently the most prescribed drug class globally for the treatment of high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases and are among the top-selling drugs worldwide. The markets for Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin in particular, has shown steady growth in the past years, as a result of the continued global prevalence of high cholesterol issues, replacement of older generation statins, and genericization of the market.

Starting almost a decade ago, Centrient has grown today into one of the leading statin API suppliers worldwide, servicing large pharma companies around the globe.

Next to high-quality features like long shelf life and large batch sizes, the company offers security of supply to customers through its dedicated statins production facility and backward integration. Being backward integrated, Centrient is independent from external imports of starting materials. Its enzymatic route of synthesis and patented technology minimise the use of harmful solvents, generate less waste, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 32% as compared to traditional manufacturers.

The news of the facility expansion follows major milestones on statins that the company reached in the past years. In 2012, under the name of DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals, it was the first pharmaceutical manufacturer worldwide to offer generic Atorvastatin APIs under a Certificate of Suitability to the Monograph of the European Pharmacopoeia (CEP). Since 2014, it has produced the unique Atorvastatin APIs in its state-of-the-art facility in Toansa, India for third-party customers.

In addition, the company was one of the first three companies worldwide that started to offer generic Rosuvastatin APIs under CEP in 2016. Two years later, the first generic Rosuvastatin and Atorvastatin finished dosage forms were launched in Western Europe.

“With the doubling of our production capacity, we demonstrate our commitment to maintain our leadership position in line with our strategy and to continue supporting our customers’ business growth. Guided by our brand promise of Quality, Reliability, and Sustainability, Centrient’s Rosuvastatin and Atorvastatin offer superior performance in all three areas to the benefit of our customers and the environment.”, says Frans Vlaar, Chief Commercial Officer at Centrient.

Ground breaking of the new manufacturing unit started at the end of 2019 and commercial supplies from the new unit will start in mid-2021. With the new manufacturing line being operational and doubling the production capacity, Centrient will be even better positioned to secure supply, meeting the growing demand from customers and helping to improve the lives of patients who are in need of these medicine.

“We are extremely proud that we have been able to complete this project in a timely way given the challenges of executing such a complex project in the midst of the COVID pandemic,” says Jim McPherson, Chief Quality & Technical Operations Officer. “It reinforces our absolute commitment to meet the expectations of our customers as a partner of choice – delivering reliable and secure supply using leading sustainable technologies. The facility incorporates design features that allow further improvements in GMP and energy utilization, and enable greater automation for improved process control.”

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About Centrient Pharmaceuticals

Centrient Pharmaceuticals is the leading manufacturer of beta-lactam antibiotics, and a provider of next generation statins and antifungals. We produce and sell intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms.

We stand proudly at the centre of modern healthcare, as a maker of essential and life-saving medicines. With our commitment to Quality, Reliability and Sustainability at the heart of everything we do, our over 2200 employees work continuously to meet our customers’ needs. We work towards a sustainable future by actively participating in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Founded 150 years ago as the ‘Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek’, our company was known as Gist Brocades and more recently DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Rotterdam (Netherlands), we have production facilities and sales offices in China, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Egypt, the United States and Mexico. Centrient Pharmaceuticals is wholly owned by Bain Capital Private Equity, a leading global private investment firm.

For more information please visit www.centrient.com or contact Centrient Pharmaceuticals Corporate Communications, Alice Beijersbergen, Director Branding & Communications. E-Mail: alice.beijersbergen@centrient.com.

Forward-looking statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to Centrient Pharmaceuticals’ future financial performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of Centrient and information currently available to the company. Centrient cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. Centrient has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is governing.

Alice Beijersbergen
Centrient Pharmaceuticals
alice.beijersbergen@centrient.com
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JinkoSolar delivers initial DC-coupled storage system to West Africa

SHANGHAI, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (the “Company” or “JinkoSolar”) (NYSE: JKS), one the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers, today announced to deliver 1.2MWh of energy storage system to West Africa. JinkoSolar’s experience in solar, storage, complex multi-application systems resulted in offering a new solution in African market: integrating batteries, Power Conditioning System (PCS), DC modular, switch cabinets, with EMS software. This all-in-one, fully integrated modular and compact solution minimizes complexity of deployment activities, and delivers the lowest lifecycle costs.

JinkoSolar Energy Storage Project in West Africa

JinkoSolar’s DC coupled battery storage system can meet project requirements of varying scale and is suitable for various environmental conditions, making it an ideal solution for grid ancillary services and C&I applications while ensuring reliability and safety. The potential advantage of this DC coupled solution Includes improved system efficiency, lower balance of plant costs, and clipped solar recapture. With storage attached to the solar system, the batteries can be charged with excess solar generation when the PV reaches its peak and would otherwise begin clipping. The stored energy can be introduced into the grid at the appropriate time, maximizing the value of the system’s generation. The flexibility and broad capabilities of the EMS software enable effective and efficient control and management over the entire system, compatible with solar, wind, grid, and diesel engines.

“For us, this is a milestone project of delivering ESS system to Africa.  It is one of our initial storage projects globally on this scale using DC-coupling. Africa is a very promising market for energy storage due to relatively poor state grid infrastructure and high electricity price, there is a strong potential to replace peaker gas or cola fired plants in Africa with cleaner alternatives like solar made dispatchable using batteries,” said Gener Miao, CMO of Jinkosolar.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537317/Africa_Energy_Storage.jpg

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Japan Begins Workplace Vaccination Program

Thousands of Japanese companies began the rollout of their workplace vaccine programs Monday, inoculating company workers and their families.

Some of the companies had been critical of what they said was the government’s slow pace of Japan’s COVID-19 inoculation campaign.

Toyota and Suntory are among the companies participating in the workplace program with vaccines provided by the government.

Thousands of people are expected to receive shots through the workplace initiative.

The start of the workplace program comes just weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics.

In India, the health ministry reported 53,256 new COVID cases Monday in the previous 24-hour period, the lowest daily number in 88 days, or about 3 months.

Taiwan recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections since May 15. Health officials announced 75 new infections Monday. Sunday Taiwan received 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines from the United States.

There are more than 178 million global COVID infections as of Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.S. has the most with 33.5 million, while Brazil has 18 million.

Brazil became the second country, behind the United States, to record more than half a million COVID-19 deaths, a Health Ministry official said Saturday.

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted, “500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world,” according to an the Agence France-Presse. “The third wave is arriving; there’s already a change in the case and death curves,” Ethel Maciel, an epidemiologist from Espirito Santo University, told AFP. “Our vaccination (program), which could make a difference, is slow and there are no signs of restrictive measures; quite the contrary.”

Britain held its first full music festival since all mass events were canceled in March of last year, the start of the pandemic.

About 10,000 fans attended a three-day Download Festival held at Donington Park in central England. The event, which ended on Sunday, featured 40 U.K.-based bands.

All of those who attended, which was only about a tenth of the festival’s pre-pandemic audience, were required to take COVID-19 tests before the event. Neither masks nor social distancing protocols was required, event organizers said.

Britain has recorded nearly 128,000 COVID-19-related deaths, the fourth most in the world and the worst in Europe. It also ranks seventh in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 4.6 million.

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed by four weeks a planned lifting of coronavirus-related restrictions.

The restrictions were set to be lifted Monday but will now run through July 19. Britain is battling the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, which was first identified in India.

Source: Voice of America

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COVID-19 Slashes Immigration into Australia

SYDNEY – New figures show that migration to Australia plummeted last year to the lowest level in more than 100 years.

Modern Australia has been built on immigration. Thirty percent of the population was born overseas. Migrants from England are the biggest group, followed by India and China.

Australia has relied on new settlers for much of its economic growth in recent decades.

But COVID-19 has applied the brakes to immigration.

The government in Canberra closed the country’s borders to most foreign nationals in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, and those restrictions are likely to remain for another year.

In 2020, just 3,300 migrants moved to Australia — a small fraction of the 244,000 arrivals the previous year. The collapse in numbers has affected many businesses unable to recruit skilled workers from overseas, as well as universities which have relied on large numbers of international students.

Mark McCrindle, founder of the McCrindle Research agency, says the turnaround has been significant.

“It is phenomenal. We were growing through migration. In fact, prior to the pandemic 60% of our population growth was because of arrivals from overseas. Last year that was just 2%. So, 98% of our growth is natural increase at the moment and even the births are not doing very well. So, we just have not seen such low numbers, such small growth in Australia for a century,” McCrindle said.

Canberra has set a limit of 13,750 places on its annual Refugee and Humanitarian Program, although border closures have made it almost impossible for successful applicants to travel to Australia.

The pandemic has also reshaped internal migration in Australia. Regional areas that are outside of major cities have had their largest net inflow of people since the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) started measuring domestic migration in 2001.

The ABS said 43,000 Australians moved to regional areas from major cities in 2020, more than double the number in 2019.

Experts have estimated that it could take Australia as much as a decade for its immigration intake to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Source: Voice of America