Pharmaceuticals division

A production primarily destined for export

The pharmaceuticals division is dedicated to the manufacture of generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), mainly antibiotics and, to a lesser extent, anti-hypertensives and anti-ulcer drugs.

It focuses on biological manufacturing (strain research and maintenance, microbiological control, fermentation and industrial extraction), but also produces and obtains sterile products by chemical synthesis. Another important activity of the division is the production of APIs and custom-designed intermediates for third parties.

The main value of the pharmaceuticals division is its global leadership, through the mastery of fermentation processes, and its ability to produce sterile products. The complexity of these processes strongly limits the number of producers in the world.

Our customers are commercial laboratories and distributors, including the world's largest, who use our products as raw materials or intermediates for the manufacture of commercial pharmaceutical specialities.

The pharmaceuticals division exports more than 90% of its sales to some 50 countries on all continents. The main markets are Italy, India, Turkey, France, Japan and Switzerland.

Innovation in products and processes

The R&D centre of the pharmaceuticals division is located in the Aranjuez factory. It is mainly dedicated to the research and development of new products and to improving quality, environmental and safety processes.

This research work led to the discovery of fosfomycin and its antibiotic application in 1969.

This division has carried out a major modernisation and expansion of the capacity of its facilities, which has boosted the production of fermentation, synthesis and sterile plants, as well as the storage capacity of finished products.

As part of the 3D Plan launched by Ercros, the division is adapting production processes to the objectives of diversification, decarbonisation and digitalisation. In order to diversify its commercial portfolio, it is developing the incorporation of two new products: vancomycin and gentamicin, both belonging to the family of antibiotics produced by fermentation.