B-M SQUIBB EXPANDS CHINA PHARMA PLANT

A $13 million capital expansion program to increase manufacturing capacity at its Shanghai, China, pharmaceutical plant has been announced by Bristol-Myers Squibb's joint venture there, known as Sino-American Shanghai Squibb. SASS was the first Sino-American pharmaceutical venture in China, and the first company there to receive export approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, according to the US-based parent company.

Ceremonies were held last month to commemorate laying the foundation stones for the new facilities, and these were attended by senior company management, local and national government and regulatory officials.

SASS was founded in 1982, although negotiations on the venture first began with the Chinese government in 1978. It is jointly owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Chinese government, represented by the State Pharmaceutical Administra-tion Corp and the Shanghai Pharmaceuti-cal Administration.