Navin Molecular Expands Process R&D Capacity with New Facility in India

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The contract development and manufacturing organization Navin Molecular announced on Jan. 15, 2025 that it was making a Rs 10 Crore (approximately US$1.2 million) investment for the purpose of building a 1200-square-meter research and development facility in India, the company’s home country (1). The proposed area to be constructed for the new building equates to almost 13,000 square feet.

In a press release, Navin said the goal of the facility, which will be at its Dewas, India site, is to increase capacity for laboratory and kilo-scale process development and enhance analytical development and testing capabilities, all in the interest of better scale-up of customer products (1).

“Robust and thorough process development is crucial to ensure the chance of successful scale up, and customers are looking for partners that are flexible and have the capacity to take on projects with the minimum of delay to meet their demanding timelines,” said Jordi Robinson, Navin Molecular chief commercial officer, in the release (1). “This expansion will ensure that we can match these expectations, as well as increasing our technology offering through flow chemistry and ozonolysis, ensuring that we can continue to provide the highest quality, cost-effective manufacturing solutions for our customers.”

Robinson was one of Pharmaceutical Technology^®’s guests in the June 2024 episode of the Drug Digest video series, discussing the outsourcing landscape in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (2). In the episode, Robinson and Eric S. Langer of BioPlan Associates discussed changes in the demand for outsourced bioprocessing services, driven by a burgeoning pipeline of clinical-phase therapeutic candidates and the practical need for more advanced analytics.

Navin’s new kilo-scale lab, according to the company, is expected to offer cylindrical vessels of up to 100 liters in volume, mimicking conditions at the company’s production plant (1). An additional, analytical laboratory will also be built. Among some of the other specific equipment that is planned are 48 fume hoods for chemical process development and specialized technology for performing flow reactions and ozonolysis.

In January 2025, among a list of key trends identified for the pharmaceutical industry for 2025, PharmaPack Europe and CPHI said the wait for the BIOSECURE ACT in the United States to be either passed or rejected in some form may result in some discovery chemistry services being switched from the US to contract research organizations throughout Europe as well as in India (3).

The investment announced by Navin, the benefits of which already began in December 2024 with work on the new facility in Dewas, is expected to create up to 65 new jobs—doubling the size of Navin’s R&D team (1). Work is expected to be completed by May 2025.

References

1. Navin Molecular. Navin Molecular to Expand Process Research and Development Capacity, Adding New Flow Synthesis and Ozonolysis Technologies. Press Release. Jan. 15, 2025.
2. Mirasol, F. Drug Digest: Changes and Trends in the Outsourcing Landscape. PharmTech.com, June 7, 2024.
3. Pharmapack Europe. Pharmapack Predictions 2025: the Good the Bad and…. the Donald 2.0. Press Release. Jan. 13, 2025.