Apotex Opens TorPharm

Apotex of Canada has officially opened a C$70 million ($51.8 million) facility, TorPharm, in Etobicoke, which will research, develop and manufacture pharmaceutical products exclusively for export to the USA. TorPharm expects to add an additional 400-500 employees.

The plant has been designed and built to facilitate both aggressive product development and cost-effective high volume solid dosage production, according to Apotex. "This facility is very much one of a kind in North America and puts Canada on the world map for pharmaceutical manufacturing," commented Jack Kay, president and chief operating officer at Apotex.

Barry Sherman, chairman and chief executive of Apotex, said: "as Canadians we wanted to build here. We were very concerned about Bill C-91...and especially about regulations pursuant to Bill C-91 (Marketletters passim), which are paralyzing our industry. However, Prime Minister Jean Chretien promised to quickly address these issues, so we decided to proceed with the expansion. To maintain growth in our industry and affordable health care for Canadians we need the federal government to now live up to the promise and to cancel the unfair regulations."