Global nutraceutical manufacturer Sirio Pharma Co. Ltd has opened a multimillion-dollar gummy production plant at its 240,000-sq.-meter manufacturing facility in Ma’anshan, China.
 
The 26,000-sq.-meter gummy plant features integrated R&D and will increase production capacity to 2.4 billion gummies per year. SIRIO also expanded its ability to make liquid-filled, center-filled, swirled and multi-colored gummies. In addition, SIRIO has hundreds of standard gummy formulation options suitable for market launch in the U.S. and EU, including sugar-free, low sugar and vegetarian options using carrageenan and pectin.
 
SIRIO CEO Rui Yang said in the U.S. and Europe gummies are seen as a “consumer friendly” dosage form.
 
“For many of the branded firms looking to enter this market early with customized formulations, we offer clear advantages,” he said. “We can expedite development and even offer taste testing options during formulation. Alternatively, we also offer ready-to-go formulations for companies that are looking to enter the market quickly because we have one of the largest ranges of existing gummy formulations of any global business. But as consumers become more discerning, we anticipate branded companies will increasingly need specialist gummy development partners and capabilities.” 
 
Yang added the facility has more than 10 scientists and formulation engineers dedicated to gummies, allowing the company to expedite development times.
 
“We anticipate exponential growth for the gummy lines in 2019,” he said. “And obviously, with the new capacity we have, we can supply even for the largest of nutraceutical brands.”