Sterling Pharma Solutions, a global CDMO, has announced the next phase of a multi-year investment strategy at its site in Dudley, UK. The £10m plan will see the building and commissioning of process development laboratories, and the installation of additional commercial-scale manufacturing equipment to meet growing demand for small molecule API manufacturing.
The project, due to be completed mid-2022, includes the installation of a 4.5 cubic metre hydrogenator, capable of pressure reactions up to 10 bar, as well as supplemental conical and filter dryers within the existing manufacturing plant. Additionally, kilo-scale and technology laboratories will be built in the site’s Material Science Centre, which was constructed as an earlier part of the investment strategy in 2020. The laboratories will be equipped to develop commercial-scale processes for customers using biocatalysis, and to improve capabilities at the recently established flow chemistry centre.
“The next phase of our strategic plan is to increase and enhance our capacity to develop and scale up processes for commercial readiness, and is testament to the continued, strong interest that we are seeing in small molecule development,” said Kevin Cook, CEO at Sterling. “Having the capabilities and expertise across a range of advanced technologies is crucial to ensure that Sterling can continue to be an industry-leading partner for API development and manufacturing, and meet the future demands of our customers.”
The 42-acre site in Dudley, UK opened in 1969 and employs more than 550 people to manufacture small molecule APIs from development phase through to commercial supply.
