Materials science innovator Corning has announced a joint venture (JV) with glass pharmaceutical packaging company SGD Pharma to open a glass tubing facility in India.

The companies have broken ground on the new facility that will be located in Vemula, Telangana.

The facility is being established to expand the pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities of India.

The JV will give SGD access to Corning’s 'Velocity Vial' technology.

The integration of Corning’s proprietary glass-coating technology with SGD vial-converting expertise will further help improve filling line productivity and accelerate the delivery of injectable treatments across the globe.

It will also help in enhancing vial quality.

The collaborative effort will enable domestic drug makers to address the increasing demands for critical medicines on a global scale.

Simultaneously, these drug makers will be able to handle any related complex quality and capacity issues.

The companies will commence the production of Velocity Vials at this new facility starting next year while the manufacturing of the pharmaceutical tubing is expected to begin in 2025.

Corning Life Sciences Market Access Platform senior vice-president and general manager Ron Verkleeren said: “Corning is advancing pharmaceutical glass technology to help our customers address their most pressing challenges - globally and locally.

“The joint venture with SGD Pharma supports our continued global expansion as we localise manufacturing for our customers.

"The collaboration also strengthens our leadership position in the industry and underscores our commitment to India’s high-growth market.”

With this latest collaboration, SGD has now joined the expanding network of primary-packaging manufacturers that are leveraging Corning’s coating technology.

The move has also contributed to the expansion of the footprint of Velocity Vials’ manufacturing in India, thereby localising its supply chain and allowing easy adoption of this technology by customers.

SGD CEO Olivier Rousseau said: “The partnership with Corning represents yet another step in our strategy to advance converting technology in the pharmaceutical industry and secure our supply chain.

“The introduction of Velocity Vials will contribute to the ongoing evolution of our offerings and services and will expand our portfolio of high-quality tubular glass packaging.”