A state-of-the-art R&D centre 'Navin Saxena Research & Technology', Clinical research organization - 'Quest Care' and a specialised manufacturing unit for transdermal patches was launched yesterday at the Kandla Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The facility, owned by parent company Rusan Pharma, is the only one in the country to manufacture Nicotine transdermal patches in India.

Rusan Pharma is a fully integrated global pharmaceutical company with interests in Research and Development, Manufacturing and Marketing of formulations, APIs and their intermediates.

Set up in alignment with the PM's 'Make In India' initiative, it will go a long way in making the Kandla SEZ vibrant and investor-friendly.

The new establishment at Kandla houses three subsidiaries, namely the Navin Saxena Research and Technology (NSRT) Centre, Quest Care which is the company's clinical research organisation and Rusan's dedicated Transdermal Patch Facility.

Together, these three units will handle the myriad aspects of addiction and pain management drug manufacture and export as a part of their portfolio, including research and innovation, licensing, IPR, patenting, quality assurance.

They offer immense employment opportunities not only to the local population but also to highly qualified scientists from India and abroad.

NSRT is a dedicated R&D facility that has state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

Research at NSRT will focus on pain, addiction, CNS and orphan diseases, drug delivery and platform technologies.

It has been set up with a vision to develop, register and license its new products to third parties. It also aims to undertake contract research and joint development projects.

Quest Care (P) is a modern, well-designed, custom-built clinical research organisation (CRO) with five independent clinics having a total of 104 beds.

It offers services such as medical writing as per ICH guidelines, bioavailability/bioequivalence and end point studies, and bio-analysis.

It is compliant with all regulatory requirements for clinical research.

Spread over about 70,000 square feet of area, the CRO incorporates various labs, speciality units and a library of archives.

Rusan Pharma being founded in 1994 holds 50% of Indian market share in addiction and 45% in Pain management and 80% of overseas market in addiction (Ukraine / Georgia / Kenya - Addnok range, Mauritius / Myanmar / Thailand - Methadone) and 35% in Pain Management.

The company has gone a step ahead and wants to invest in further innovation for new targeted delivery drugs for Breast cancer and Naltrexone implant for Alcohol abuse.

Rusan group companies together have a current turnover of Rs 300 cr and intend to grow to Rs 600 crore in 2018.

Being the first Indian company to do research on addiction and few orphan disease, they intend to expand their new Rs 100 crore facility by Rs 70-Rs 100 crore in next year.

Through this new facility India can enter the innovation drive for the niche categories targeted by NSRT as a participant of $375 million global licensing market.

Addressing the media, Dr Navin Saxena, Chairman & Founder of Rusan Pharma, said, "With our continuous efforts and innovation we are proud to announce the biggest government & private Indian company deal between Brazil Health Ministry & Rusan Pharma for $20 million per annum for their program for smoking cessation." He went on to describe the importance of innovation in the present economic climate, where investors want something relevant to today's needs. Transdermal patches, the first to be manufactured indigenously by Rusan in India, fall in that niche. "This facility is the answer to the hunt for new research and medicines by global investors. We invite them to visit us and see it for themselves."

Mr Kunal Saxena, Managing Director of Rusan Pharma, "Rusan and NSRT are dedicated to develop and deliver innovative products to the patients. And we are the largest and reputed suppliers of life saving drugs (Buprenorphine, Methadone and anti-TB drugs) to UNODC / UNOPS / Global Fund, MoH - Russia, CIS, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, Myanmar"

Rusan Pharma is one of the few Indian companies that offer a one-stop-shop solution for treating various forms of addictions such as drugs, alcohol and smoking.

It is also well known for its pain management products that address the entire spectrum of pain from mild to severe.

A pre-inaugural event saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NSRT, Moscow State University (Russia), Symbiosis College Pune, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and IIT Kanpur.

The MOU highlights NSRT's commitment to collaborative research. This would further flare up reverse brain drain for Indian students.