Ranbaxy suspends all shipments from Toansa, Dewas plants

Indian generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd today said it has suspended all shipments of pharmaceutical ingredients produced at its Toansa and Dewas factories to review processes and controls.

The plants are currently banned from shipping products to the United States following quality concerns, so the suspension will hit supplies to other markets including Europe and India.

Ranbaxy said in a statement this morning that it was "currently examining processes and controls" at all its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturing units.

"This voluntary decision was taken as a precautionary measure and out of abundant caution to better allow the company to assess and review the processes and controls," it said.

Ranbaxy also said it has set up a committee to provide oversight on manufacturing and quality operations, systems, organisation and integrity. The committee's objective is to help and assure good governance to all Ranbaxy stakeholders. Its primary role is to provide oversight on the company's manufacturing and quality operations, systems, organization and integrity, the Ranbaxy statement said.

This voluntary decision was taken as a precautionary measure and out of abundant caution to better allow the company to assess and review the processes and controls.

The company said it will resume shipments after reassuring them about the processes and controls at these facilities, the company said.

Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibited Ranbaxy from shipping to its biggest market any pharmaceutical ingredients made at its facility in Toansa in Punjab (See: Ranbaxy hit afresh by FDA; all its India-made products banned).

The sanction was the latest in a series of regulatory rebukes for India's largest drug maker by revenue since Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd took control of the company in 2008.

The Toansa ban, which followed similar action on two plants in 2008 including Dewas and another in September 2013, means Ranbaxy can no longer export to the US from India.