France's Chauvin Invests At Aubenas

French medium-sized drugmaker Laboratoire Chauvin, which specializes in ophthalmological drugs, is to reconstruct part of one of its production plants at Aubenas in the Ardeche area of the Rhone-Alpes region. The aim is to achieve Good Manufacturing Practice standards of sterile production.

The cost is estimated at 10 million French francs ($1.9 million). In addition, a unit to manufacture antihistamines and antiallergy products is to be established at a cost of some 1.7 million francs.

Laboratoire Chauvin, part of the Chauvin group, has two sites, one at Aubenas and one at Montpellier. It also has an export department in Paris. Sales in 1993 reached 342 million francs, with exports accounting for 24% of sales. The company is the leading producer of ophthalmological specialties in France, and is forecasting 1994 group sales of around 558 million francs.