PCI Pharma Services (PCI), a contract development and manufacturing firm (CDMO), announced a significant expansion of its world-class facility in Tredegar, Wales, UK, designed to help keep pace with the market growth of powerful, targeted oncology therapies.
The expansion includes two new facilities dedicated to the manufacturing of solid oral-dose tablets and capsules. A second contained manufacturing building (CMF2), capitalizing on the success of the CMF1, opened in 2013, will double large-scale processing capacity including dispensing and fluid bed granulation of high-potency solid-dose products at commercial scale.
Why is expansion the correct call?
There is a new high-potency, multi-product packaging facility with primary and secondary blistering and bottling suites. The packaging lines provide a fully integrated process, delivering end-to-end services for a global client base. Over 1,300 medicines and vaccines in clinical trials were indicated for cancer treatment in 2021, compared to 1,100 two years prior.
Oncology treatments accounted for 25% of all medicines approved by the FDA between 2010 and 2019, signaling that it will remain key for the industry in the next few years.
Both facilities will contain state-of-the-art equipment, including a replica of CMF1’s large-scale granulation suite and a down-flow booth with containment screening. Duplicating the original state-of-the-art CMF1 facility will provide greater capacity and business continuity for clients.
What were the executives’ thoughts on the expansion?
Commenting on the expansion, Salim Haffar, Chief Executive Officer, PCI Pharma Services said, “We’re excited to announce the latest expansion in Tredegar that will address the growing need for specialty global manufacturing services within the oncology arena.”
“As the market expands for potent therapies, concentrated formulations that can present unique challenges to manufacturing and packaging, we’re proud to be one of the few providers with the capabilities to manage this specialty at both clinical and commercial scale.”
“The rapid evolution of oncology pipelines has coincided with the continued globalization of clinical development,” said Rebecca Coutts, General Manager, Tredegar, PCI Pharma Services.
“This latest investment, along with the existing analytical and formulation capabilities, combines a clinical and commercial scale packaging facility to complement the existing clinical and increased commercial scale manufacturing capabilities, placing end-to-end services for these high-potency molecules under one roof to better serve our client’s evolving needs.”
The Tredegar expansion is also expected to create up to 40 new jobs in the first year and add more as the facilities scale up. PCI Tredegar employs close to 500 people, doubling the number of employees since the opening of CMF1 in 2013. PCI has been operating in Tredegar UK for nearly 40 years and is one of the most significant employers in the local area.
For more information on PCI’s manufacturing capabilities, please click here.
