XI’AN, CHINA, APRIL 17, 2014 - Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and the Xi’an High-Tech Industries Development Zone today broke ground on a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing facility to serve China and the broader Pan-Asia region.
The groundbreaking today marked the latest milestone in this landmark project, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on plant development in November 2013 and an investment commitment in February 2014. Final construction at the site is expected to be completed by 2016, and the new site is planned to be launched in 2018.
The new 267,000-square-meter site will replace Xian Janssen’s existing site in Xi’an with the objective of becoming the company’s supply-chain hub for innovation in Asia, serving the rapidly expanding needs of China and other markets in the region. The new plant will feature world-class manufacturing technologies, advanced quality systems, and significantly greater capacity than its current Xi’an-based facilities.
The new plant will be equipped with the latest technologies and processes imported from around the world, setting a new standard in pharmaceuticals manufacturing in China. With fully automated operations and electronic recording for safety and quality, the plant is expected to reach a full future capacity of 4 billion tablets and capsules, and up to 57 million tubes of creams.
The groundbreaking took place in the rapidly developing Xi’an High-Tech Industries Development Zone, and was attended by Cesar Rodriguez, President of Xian Janssen. Xi’an Mayor Dong Jun represented the city government, while Xi’an High-Tech Industries Development Zone was represented by Administrative Director An Jianli.
Xi’an City’s Dong Jun announced the groundbreaking by thanking Xian Janssen for their long-term investment and commitment to Xi’an, and declaring Shaanxi’s commitment to continue the rapid growth and modernization of industry in the province.
Speaking at the ceremony, Xian Janssen’s Cesar Rodriguez said: “Today’s groundbreaking is an incredible step for Xian Janssen and for the XHTZ, but most of all for patients in China and throughout the region who rely on our products and treatments every day. Today we are breaking ground on a state-of-the-art facility that will continue Xian Janssen’s 30-year history of delivering innovative and high-quality products to market. In doing so, we are signaling our commitment to making Xian Janssen and China leaders in the pharmaceutical industry through our increased capacity to meet the country’s rapidly growing patient needs via world-class manufacturing.”
The construction of the new plant represents the extension of XJP’s longstanding strategic partnership with the Shaanxi Provincial and Xi’an Municipal Governments and is aligned with efforts to make the High-Tech Industries Development Zone a world-leading high-tech zone. It is also in line with Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical’s long-term strategy of implementing high-quality manufacturing, meeting all environmental, health, safety and sustainability standards.
Following the ceremony, the High-Tech Zone’s An Jianli said: “The Xi’an High-Tech Industries Development Zone represents the future in efficient, sustainable, and high-tech manufacturing. We are delighted to be welcoming Xian Janssen into the Zone, a development which represents a big step forward for pharmaceuticals manufacturing for Xi’an and for China.”
Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. It is one of China’s largest pharmaceutical companies and among the earliest multinational pharmaceutical companies to enter China simultaneous with the opening up of China’s economy.
Since its establishment in 1985, Xian Janssen has been committed to providing Chinese patients with high-quality, innovative products that fulfill unmet medical needs in psychiatry, neurology, oncology, immunology, and gastrointestinal and fungal diseases.
Based on the company’s Credo and spirit of caring, Xian Janssen has been an active corporate citizen, conducting over 50 cooperative projects in the areas of medicine, public health, medical R&D, and corporate social responsibility.
(This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: economic factors, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; challenges to patents; changes in behavior and spending patterns or financial distress of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to governmental laws and regulations and domestic and foreign health care reforms; general industry conditions including trends toward health care cost containment; and increased scrutiny of the health care industry by government agencies. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2013, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither Xian Janssen nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.)
Maggie Sun Yan Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Tel: 010-58218458 E-mail: ysun31@ITS.JNJ.COM
Queena Huang Jing Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Tel: 010-58218441 E-mail: jhuang5@ITS.JNJ.COM