Knoll To Make France Its Number Two Production Site

Knoll France's drug production plant at Prouvy in the north of thecountry is to double its production capacity as part of the current industrial rationalization program being undertaken by parent Knoll AG, paart of the pharmaceuticals arm of Germany's BASF group.

The French unit was acquired from Boots, and was integrated into the Knoll group in 1995, when Knoll also acquired other Boots interests. Several operations in which Boots was involved will be switched to Prouvy before the end of 1997. The existing plant manufactures several leading drugs, including the anti-inflammatory Brufen (ibuprofen) and the antidepressant Prothiaden (dothiepin HCl), for the European market.

Marc Villemin, president of the board of Knoll France, has said that the group's designation of the unit as a European center of excellence for Boots products would make the site Knoll's second largest after that in Germany. It would be entirely devoted to the production of drug forms. The extension of the unit represents investments of 70 million French francs ($1.8 million).