Fire injures nine in Teva's Croatian factory

Production has been halted at the Pliva factory in Zagreb, which manufactures generic ADD treatment Adderall.

19 March 12 19:52, Gali Weinreb

A fire at Teva's factory in Croatia has injured nine people including one in critical condition, local media reports. The fire was at the Zagreb factory of Pliva Pharmaceuticals, owned by Teva, and which produces generic drugs.

Indications are that the fire was caused by an electricity short circuit.

Teva said that production at the plant will be halted for a short period of time while the incident is investigated but that the damage will not cause a long term disruption in production. Teva added that the influence of the fire will not be significant in terms of its operations.

Pliva, the largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturer in Croatia, was acquired by Teva in 2008. In 2009, Teva announced that planning the full integration of Pliva's factory into the company's global operations had been completed. The Zagreb factory, which manufactures 80% of Pliva's products, is considered a strategically important factory for Teva.

Pliva manufactures generic Adderall for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The Zagreb plant is also a leading manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients for Teva's many other generic drugs. The plant also serves as an R&D for products exported to Europe.

Teva's financial report does not detail the Zagreb factory's contribution to the company's business but prior to its acquisition, Pliva had 6,000 employees and $1.17 billion annual revenue.

The fire occurred last Friday but was extinguished in a short period of time by the local fire brigade. Pliva reported that there was no damage to the environment and no public health hazards to the public or surroundings.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 19, 2012

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