Janssen-Cilag Opens New Portugal Plant

Johnson & Johnson affiliate Janssen-Cilag this month inaugurated a new plant at Queluz, near Lisbon, Portugal. The initial investment planned at 1.6 billion escudos reached 2 billion escudos ($12.9 million). The new plant, which will produce most formulations excluding intravenous products, represents the new international policy of the group, which aims to rationalize production.

Janssen-Cilag closed its UK manufacturing facilities two-to-three years ago, the company told the Marketletter, moving production to European sites, and one of these is the Portuguese investment. According to local sources, the Queluz plant creates 110 new jobs and will have a total production capacity of 40 million units in 750 different presentations; this will allow turnover of 10 billion escudos.

With this reinforcement, Janssen-Cilag has said it will be the number one pharmaceutical producer in Portugal, from where about 60% of total production will be exported to European Union countries and 40% retained within the country.