$10 million investment at Shreveport facility produces new formulations for pain relief.

Quality Control Chemist Lynn Massad drops an ibuprofen tablet into test equipment that will dissolve the tablet, simulating conditions in the stomach to determine how long it takes for the tablet to dissolve. (Photo courtesy of The Shreveport Times)

The route to a better way of relieving that nagging backache of yours may be traced all the way back to a BASF laboratory in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Quality Control Chemist Lynn Massad conducts tests to find out how pain relief tablets can be made to dissolve faster and, as a result, work more effectively.

As the largest U.S. manufacturer of prescription-strength ibuprofen, BASF produces more than 2.5 billion tablets annually in three strengths: 400, 600, and 800 milligrams. Generic drug companies then market the tablets. The BASF Shreveport facility has invested nearly $10 million in new technology, processes, and training that have, in part, produced new formulations for smaller, quicker-acting ibuprofen tablets.

“I feel fortunate to be working for a company that is so committed to continuous improvement,” says Massad, who has been with BASF for 10 years. “My work in helping make these tablets better ultimately provides a real benefit to the people who use them--they feel better.”

The Shreveport site has approximately 200 employees and also manufactures and packages other pain relief and anti-inflammatory products.