Valeant Canada expands with $27.5m investment

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Valeant Canada is expanding its Canadian manufacturing and export capacity with investments totalling $27.5m in its Steinbach, Manitoba and Laval, Quebec manufacturing facilities.

Valeant will invest $15m in its Steinbach facility by the end of 2016, including $7m in upgrades to product manufacturing technology and $8m for the transfer of North American production of Xifaxan (rifaximin) and Apriso (mesalamine). Xifaxan is prescribed to relieve symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy and irritable bowel syndrome and Apriso is used to treat ulcerative colitis. These investments will support the facility's growth and expand its role as a key exporter of leading healthcare products while ensuring robust security for products travelling through international distribution channels. Since 2012, Valeant has transferred 27 technologies to Steinbach for manufacturing.

Valeant also announced $12.5m of investments in its Laval facility, which includes $10m to upgrade product manufacturing technology, as well as $2.5m associated with the transfer of production of Arestin (minocycline hydrochloride) to Laval. 

The transfer of Arestin, an antibiotic treatment for periodontal disease, will create 15 new engineering and production jobs and builds upon the transfer of Jublia production to Quebec earlier this year.