Ashland opens new center of excellence in Hyderabad dedicated to the pharmaceutical market

Ashland opens new center of excellence in Hyderabad dedicated to the pharmaceutical market

Hyderabad, India - Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), today held a grand opening ceremony for the opening of a new pharmaceutical center of excellence in Hyderabad, India. This is the ninth center of excellence that Ashland Specialty Ingredients has opened, and it joins Ashland's global network of three dozen research and development and technical centers. The state-of-the-art facility specializes in oral solid-dosage form research and expands Ashland's global reach, pharmaceutical research and footprint outside of North America.

"A key Ashland commitment is to be close to our customers," said Luis Fernandez-Moreno, president, Ashland Specialty Ingredients, during the grand opening ceremony. "Investments in state of-the-art facilities allow us to drive growth and deliver innovation where our customers are located. This facility provides our customers in India and throughout the region with a center of excellence to develop and enhance their pharmaceutical formulations."

"Research and development dedicated to optimal yields and lower variability in oral solid-dosage forms is essential to the future success of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry," said Jim Mish, group vice president, Consumer Specialties, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. "Emerging manufacturing processes, such as continuous manufacturing by spray drying or hot-melt extrusion, is one component of this equation. Excipients science is another. At our new center of excellence, we bring together our expertise in process technology and our knowledge in materials science to further support the quality, safety and efficiency of oral solid-dosage forms."

"The Ashland Pharmaceutical Specialties research and development team takes a very customer-focused approach to our business. Roughly 70 percent of our current R&D projects involve working directly with our customers on a collaborative basis," explained Tom Dürig, senior director, global pharmaceutical R&D, Consumer Specialties, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. "We provide customized training on product applications to our customers. Additionally, our team can provide technical assistance for specific requests from customers. Superior technical service forms an important part of our offering and distinguishes Ashland from our competitors. The products we manufacture are supported by a global network of research and application scientists and technically trained salespeople."

With close to two billion consumers in the region, India and Southeast Asia are home to one of the fastest-growing populations in the world. Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for today's global pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Having served these markets since the 1950s, Ashland offers an unparalleled excipient portfolio and a global research and development team focused on all of the major formulation trends. The opening of this pharmaceutical center of excellence in Hyderabad is part of the company's commitment to serving this need and reinforcing its market leadership as a specialty chemical company.

This center of excellence expands Ashland's global network of R&D and technical support facilities dedicated to the advancement of consumer products. It's another major investment following the opening of personal care center of excellence in Mumbai, India, in 2012. Ashland Specialty Ingredients has nine centers of excellence around the world.

About Ashland Specialty Ingredients

Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers industry-leading products, technologies and resources for solving formulation and product performance challenges in key markets including personal care, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, coatings and energy. Using natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers derived from plant and seed extract, cellulose ethers and vinyl pyrrolidones, Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for today's demanding consumer and industrial applications. Key customers include pharmaceutical companies; makers of personal care products, food and beverages, and cosmetics; manufacturers of paint, coatings and construction materials; and oilfield service companies.

About Ashland Inc.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our four commercial units - Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials and Valvoline.

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Helen Pei
+86 21 2402 4863
bpei@ashland.com