Abbott opens new research facility

Abbott has announced the opening of a new facility and pilot plant which will be involved in the testing of large-scale production of new drug formulations and the research of groundbreaking technology.

The company said this expansion is part of its global drug discovery business Soliqs.

Soliqs works to enhance the bioavailability of poorly-soluble compounds using the Meltrex, NanoMorph, smartCrystal, SoliScreen and Xellex platform technologies and is based in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

The firm also works on behalf of third parties.

Abbott reported it used the Meltrex technology to develop the latest tablet formulation of Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), the first and only co-formulated protease inhibitor that can be taken with or without food and does not require refrigeration.

John M Leonard, senior vice-president of pharmaceuticals, research and development at Abbott, said: “Innovative drug formulation is critical to the development of effective new treatments that make a difference for patients.”

He added the company is dedicated to advancing the innovation of science to bring new medicines to patients.

Last month, Abbott was named as one of the top ten family friendly employers by Working Mother magazine – the eighth year in a row it was in the publication’s top 100 for providing innovation in this area.