In 2011, Fresenius Kabi installed equipment for the production of Fresenius Kabi’s proprietary freeflex® bags. These innovative containers are made of inert plastic materials and not made with PVC, plasticizers, adhesives or latex. They meet the highest ecological and drug compatibility standards.
In line with this new product development, South Africa is in a unique position to exploit time frames when considering the patent protection expiry. South Africa enjoys a complete year’s head start when compared with European manufacturers. It already supplies cisatracurium and octreotide to the European Union markets; the antibiotic Linezolid is in the pipeline.
In addition to supplying local state and private hospitals, Fresenius Kabi South Africa also exports products to Europe. The Gqeberha team has extensive experience of adapting manufacturing processes and packaging formats to meet the clients’ exact requirements.
To complete the value chain, this excellent production know-how is coupled with outstanding analytical competence – from quality control of the starting materials, through in-process controls (IPC) production surveillance to the release testing of the finished products. Climate chambers are available for stability studies according to the International Committee on Harmonization (ICH) requirements.
The chemistry and microbiology laboratories are located on the center axis of the production floor. These are staffed by university-qualified employees. The nearby Nelson Mandela University is a resource pool of chemical analysts, microbiologists and pharmacists. As our customer, you will not only benefit from our on-going cost-containment initiatives, but also the integrated production experience, the highly motivated staff and the state-of-the-art technologies in Gqeberha manufacturing plant as well as from our excellent record with international health authorities and client quality audits.
The facility manufactures a wide range of standard solutions and IV drugs. Initially the large volume PVC bags for the standard solutions were produced, assembled and filled on-site. During 2009, the suite for hormonal products was extended and upgraded. Medroxy-Progesterone, a contraceptive IV solution, is mainly produced in the suite.