Global CDMO Recipharm is investing to expand its sterile fill and finish production capabilities at its Monts, France site.
The manufacturing facility, which specialises in the aseptic filling of pharmaceutical products, including biologics into vials and cartridges, currently has three lines for vials.
The investment will expand the company’s manufacturing footprint, adding a filling line able to fill 400 vials a minute, with the capacity for more than 100 million vials per year.
The line, which has automated visual inspection and container closure integrity testing features, will reportedly have a >5 fold increased filling speed allowing temperature sensitive biologics to be filled. It’s expected to be operational for commercial production in Q3.
Secondary packaging and labelling will also be available from the facility, and the company is in the process of implementing additional cleanroom facilities and labs for microbiology and in-process controls.
Claus Tollnick, Head of Sterile Fill & Finish Operations at Recipharm, said: “The Monts facility demonstrates our commitment as a business to meet not just present customer demand for aseptic filling, but future customer requirements, and we are investing significant sums in updating the facility and expanding its capacity. While we are bolstering our biologics capabilities, we also continue to offer strong small molecule expertise, providing a single partner to the industry for all their commercial scale aseptic filling needs.”
The site in Monts is one of Recipharm’s principal sterile manufacturing facilities and will continue to deliver batches of COVID-19 vaccines to support vaccination programmes around the world, the company says.