Swiss pharmaceutical producer Roche plans to invest 120 million Swiss francs in new production facilities at Basel.

Around €85 million of the total will go for new chemical ingredients, the remainder in expansion and retrofitting of an existing flexible multipurpose unit for investigational medicines already on the market.

Roche said initial preparatory work has begun, and production of the drug ingredients will start up in the third quarter of 2016, while the multipurpose plant will go on stream in June 2015.

Site manager Matthias Baltisberger said the investment is designed to enhance the site's appeal and "continue to provide jobs for highly skilled technicians, scientists, engineers and quality specialists."