Unión Químico Farmacéutica S.A (UQUIFA), a member of the UQUIFA Group, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain has signed definitive agreements to divest its API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) manufacturing site based in Lliçà de Vall (Av. Puigcerdà, 7, 08185, Lliçà de Vall, Barcelona).

The Lliçà de Vall site occupies a surface area of 21,176 m2, a workforce of 90 people and a production capacity of 160 m³ of reaction mixture. It currently produces off-patent advanced intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients, which are exported to Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia.

These facilities meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and have the corresponding AEMPS certification, as well as ISO14001:2005 certification covering environmental aspects. They are also audited by several international regulatory authorities such as the Korean FDA and the Japanese PMDA.

This manufacturing site, with its employees and, the registered APIs would be acquired by Esteve Química S.A.U. (ESTEVE). This acquisition of the Lliçà de Vall manufacturing site is a part of ESTEVE´s growth and internationalization strategy. Both the companies will be working closely over a defined transition period so that an adequate transfer of business knowledge and an integration of IT systems, among others, can take place.

Saurabh Gurnurkar, Managing Director of Uquifa Sciences S.L.U, said: “The UQUIFA team is pleased that the Lliçà de Vall production site will be taken over by a committed owner with the ability to develop it to its full potential. This divestment will help UQUIFA to optimize our operations in Spain in line with our strategic objectives and better align with the changing needs of our customers”.

Founded in 1936, the UQUIFA Group today, caters to a global customer base from its sites in Spain, Mexico and Hungary across the CDMO and Off-Patent API business lines. It is focused on delivering value through its development & manufacturing capabilities to a customer base across the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries with the USA, EU and Japan being its principal markets.

Post this divestment, the UQUIFA Group will continue to invest in its development capabilities and people resources, to serve its global customer base, more efficiently. We are confident that our Spanish operations will embark on a new cycle of growth, based on our commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, and EHS (Environment, Health and Safety).