Lupin Celebrates Opening Of First U.S. Manufacturing Plant

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, with scissors, reacts after cutting the ribbon at Lupin on May 9. With her is, left to right, Township Councilwoman Roz Sherman, Lupin president Kurt Nielsen, Lupin CEO Vinita Gupta, Indian Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das and Mike Kerwin, president of the Somerset County Business Partnership.

An India-based manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals on May 9 celebrated the opening of its first U.S. manufacturing plant, which happens to be located in the township.

Lupin Limited leadership and staff gathered outside the company’s Campus Drive facility to witness a ribbon-cutting and hear comments from the company’s president and CEO, as well as U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and India’s Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das.

The 100,000 square-foot facility was purchased in March 2016 for $880 million, according to a statement from the company. More than 80 jobs were created since then, bringing the company’s total to 380, with another 50 expected to be added over the next 12 to 18 months, according to the statement.

The acquisition was “part of a plan to meet the growing demand for affordable medicines in the US,” company CEO Vinita Gupta told the crowd. “The Somerset acquisition for us was a strategic investment to establish a deeper presence in the US, to access technology capabilities that complement ours and to be able to build a scientific and manufacturing team that complements ours in India,” she said.

“We have gained a strong manufacturing foothold with the manufacturing facility here,” Gupta said. “We have been able to enter areas such as controlled substances as well as women’s health specialties, and most importantly, we’ve been able to bring a skilled team of R&D and manufacturing exports into our organization.”

“I’m very pleased and very proud of what our team has accomplished so far,” she said. “We remain committed to build up on the strengths we have built here in Somerset,” she said.

Lupin holds a 5 percent share of the generic pharmaceutical market share, and invests 12 percent of its revenue into R&D to “bring a broad portfolio of generic drugs or affordable medicines into the market,” she said.

The township manufacturing facility has allowed the company to enter the controlled substance and women’s health specialties markets, “and most importantly, we’ve been able to bring a skilled team of R&D and manufacturing exports into our organization,” she said.

“The combined pipeline between the US and India is now the fifth-largest pipeline for the US generic industry,” Gupta said.

Watson Coleman (D-12), said that “with this expansion, Lupin is not only putting more residents of our district to work, they are focusing on making affordable medicine for patients worldwide.”

“There is no place in the world that is better to make a significant investment in the bio-pharmaceutical and science industry than right here,” she said. “These businesses, Lupin especially, have demonstrated resilience in managing difficult economic times, and working to extend the benefits of an improving economy.”

“They are bringing the best minds to the table to support innovation and expansion in the industry,” Watson Coleman said. “But that means support for investments in education and welcoming men and women from around the world.”

“Nothing personally gives me more pleasure than seeing the success of Indian companies in places where I am posted,” Das said. “New Jersey is a wonderful place to expand and have your business. Thank you for creating this environment for our people, for our companies.”

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