Steinbach intact

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This article was published 22/06/2010 (5775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach intact

ACCORDING to Manitoba industry officials, it’s not likely the merger of Biovail Corp. with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International will have a negative impact on Biovail’s Steinbach production facility.

The state-of-the-art Manitoba manufacturing plant has undergone a couple of expansions over the last decade and last year became Biovail’s primary global production facility, with the closing of two former production facilities in Puerto Rico.

Valeant has four production facilities of its own: one each in Montreal, Brazil, Mexico and Poland.

Among other products, Biovail’s Steinbach plant makes Wellbutrin, prescribed for the treatment of major depressive disorders and seasonal affective disorder; Ultram, an extended-release chronic pain treatment for moderate to moderately severe chronic pain sufferers; Cardizem, the U.S. trade name for a drug used to treat high blood pressure; and Tiazac, the Canadian brand name for the same drug.

Here’s some of the history of the Steinbach plant:

1992: Biovail built a 102,000-square-foot pharmaceutical production plant in Steinbach.

2002: It started construction of an $11-million, 40,000-square-foot expansion. At the time, it had 200 employees

2005: It announced another $30-million, 75,000-square-foot expansion. The company was up to more than 500 employees at the time.

2009: The company was in the process of closing its Puerto Rico plants and was up to 600 employees in Steinbach.

— Martin Cash