Ahmedabad based pharmaceutical Cadila Pharma, shut down its formulations manufacturing plant in Ahmedabad after more than two dozen of its employees tested positive for the new coronavirus. A senior government official confirmed that five employees had tested positive for COVID-19 six days back, while 21 others tested positive this week.
"We had collected samples of 30 employees of Cadila on May 5, and 21 of the samples returned positive a day later," said Arun Mahesh Babu, the District Development Officer of Ahmedabad.
He added the plant was ordered to be shut down on Thursday, 95 employees had been quarantined and sanitisation work at the site had begun.
In a statement, Cadila Pharmaceuticals said, "Recently, 26 of our employees from our Dholka manufacturing facility tested positive for COVID-19. Following this, we have closed our operations on our own."
The company also said it is cooperating with the local administration to ensure the safety and security of its facility and surroundings.
Besides Dholka, Cadila Pharmaceuticals has manufacturing facilities in other parts of India and in Ethiopia. The company is a major producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) - the key ingredients used in making a drug.
