China Pharmaceutical ups capacity to beat controls

China Pharmaceutical Group said it will expand capacity and reduce unit costs by 5-30% to offset the impact of stiffer state price controls. The antibiotics and vitamin C maker said it has budgeted US$100 million this year to double annual production of its vitamin C product � to 30,000 tonnes � and its intermediate antibiotic product 7-ACA, to 1,600 tonnes. The company also said it will increase annual penicillin production to 8,000 tonnes by next year, too.