Aurobindo to invest €3 million in cancer medicine testing equipment

Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo, will be investing €3 million to build a new laboratory for the testing of oncology products at its facility in Hal Far. 

The investment, which falls on the company’s tenth anniversary since its formation, is its third, and will help in the creation of 20 new jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Malta facility tests medicinal products before they enter the European market, and is considered as one of the biggest laboratories on the continent.

Cancer-related products undergo vigorous assessment in order to test how the pills react to different climates. 

According to a company representative, the investment will continue to increase the company’s capabilities in the European market and continue to improve the conditions of its workers. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also praised the company’s efforts for its continued growth, calling it another success story of the Maltese economy. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Economy Minister Chris Cardona with Aurobindo employees

Muscat also said that for Aurobindo, Malta provides a strategic position for its functionality.

“We hope to continue investing and diversifying the pharmaceutical ecosystem of our country, in efforts to continue increasing quality jobs and strengthening Malta’s economic value,” he said. 

The company’s representative also said that around half of its workers come from neighbouring countries, with this mixture of backgrounds, pushing towards a more worker-centred environment. 

Muscat picked up on this statement later on, with him stressing the importance of the foreign workforce in Malta, claiming that had there been no foreigners to occupy jobs within the company, it would have closed down, with jobs occupied by Maltese nationals being lost. 

The Aurobindo representative also stressed that the company will continue to push for more worker rights like family-friendly measures, as well as provide opportunities for lifelong learning.