Leading pharmaceutical outsourcing provider PCI Pharma Services (PCI) has announced a capacity expansion programme for its commercial contract packaging services at key sites in Philadelphia (PA, USA) and Rockford (IL, USA).
The PCI Philadelphia facility, which serves as the company headquarters, recently expanded site capacity by adding additional bottling and blister packaging lines.
The investment will add increased capacity in excess of 75 million blisters and 25 million bottles per year at that location. Furthering the strategic capacity expansion investment, PCI’s Rockford site will add equipment for three additional bottling lines to that location, increasing site capacity by approximately 75 million additional bottles per year.
In addition, the Rockford location will also expand its leading pouching capability for powders and oral solids as it experiences business growth.
Ken Richardson, Global Vice President, Engineering, PCI Pharma Services, states: 'We have seen continued strong demand for outsourced packaging services, both in the prescription drug segment as well as for OTC products. This investment in capacity expansion of the US sites, along with other key investments by PCI, will assist in securing the growth potential moving forward and ensure that we continue to provide a truly integrated full-service solution to our clients.'
This is the latest in a series of significant investments by PCI to facilitate its strategic expansion of services, positioning PCI to best support trends in the pharmaceutical marketplace.
In late 2014, PCI acquired Penn Pharma, adding drug manufacturing capability to its portfolio of clinical and commercial services. Also in 2014, PCI acquired Biotec Services International, a leading provider of Clinical trial supply services with key specialization in Cold Chain and Ultra Cold Chain. Following these acquisitions, in late 2015 PCI integrated all businesses with the rebranding of PCI Pharma Services.
In the past 3 months PCI has announced two key capital site expansions. PCI’s centre of excellence for drug manufacture has begun a 26,500ft2 expansion at the Tredegar, UK, location, recognised by ISPE as a Facility of the Year. In addition to the general manufacture of oral solids, liquids and semi-solids, the state-of-the-art manufacturing site features fully contained development and manufacture of potent compounds.
PCI has also broken ground for the expansion of its Bridgend, UK, clinical site, with the addition of 37,500ft2. The site features industry leading temperature controlled packaging and logistics capability for products at controlled room temperature, cold chain 2-8°C, -20°C, -40°C, -80°C and ultra cold chain cryogenic temperatures at -196°C for advanced therapeutic medicinal products (ATMP), which include the emerging market for cell and gene therapies.
Both investments allow PCI to take advantage of opportunities in rapidly growing market segments. PCI will share details of these investments at the upcoming AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition in Denver (CO, USA) at booth 1508.
Furthering PCI’s primary packaging investments at key commercial sites, the company has also invested in serialisation technology capacity expansions for its facilities across North America and Europe to meet customer demand in advance of pending requirements in both regions, as well as requirements in emerging markets around the world.
These serialization investments include PCI’s innovative FlexSuite, which offers a flexible standalone serialisation service for clients, complimenting PCI’s high speed integrated serialisation technologies. PCI will highlight its serialization investments and readiness at the upcoming PackExpo/PharmaExpo event in Chicago (booth W-541).
