local mp eyking to expedite plant approvals

PB sent me this link to some press coverage they received last week.


NORTH SYDNEY Stirling Pharmaceuticals in the Northside Business Park expects to begin production next month.

Topics : Stirling Products , Health Canada , Stirling Products Canada , Australia , Sydney , North Sydney
Progress at the Australia-based trading pharmaceutical company that offers manufacturing, development, marketing and sales platforms is ahead of schedule.

The plant is scheduled to feature acetaminophen products in the first production runs, with the company already having approximately 13 tonnes of active ingredient ready for production.

Sydney-Victoria MP Mark Eyking toured the plant Thursday with Stirling Products Limited managing director Peter Boonen and Wayne Miller, vice-president sales and marketing.

Boonen, who is from Sydney, Australia, travels regularly to North Sydney to check on the plants progress.

We submitted our application to Health Canada a month ago and are waiting for a response, Boonen said. Right now weve filled 18 key positions, and the first week in September we will be hiring and training up to another 20 to work in the manufacturing plant.

Stirling Pharmas goal is to manufacture neutraceuticals (a food or food product that provides health and medical benefits) and pharmaceuticals, which are over-the-counter drugs and prescribed medicines that are governed by Heath Canada and have a unique drug identification (DIN) number.

I plan to request that the health minister expedite the process, considering that the former plant was producing product, Eyking said. I dont think anyone is asking for special treatment. There is due diligence that must be taken, but there is some urgency to get things underway. It is good that the process is moving along at the same time that the company is getting ready to bring on the workers.

The plant is fitted with extensive laboratory, drug manufacturing and packaging facilities. Features include a fully fitted out laboratory, water filtration systems, auto mixing units ranging to 3,000 kg capacity and two fully automated filling, labelling and packaging lines. With the current fit-out and configuration, the plant, which is fully cGMP (current good manufacturing practice) compliant, has an annual capacity to manufacture and package over 550 million tablets, five million bottles and blend up to 1.5 million kg of product. It also has a granulating and grinding capacity.

The parent company, Stirling Products Limited of Australia, has several companies in Canada, the major one being Stirling Products Canada, based in North River, P.E.I.

Link: http://www.capebretonpost.com/Business/2010-08-20/article-1688557/Pharmaceutical-company-waiting-for-word-on-licensing/1