A significant expansion is nearing completion at Vetter’s US clinical manufacturing facility located at the Illinois Science & Technology Park in suburban Chicago.
The ongoing growth of the global CDMO’s facility aims to help satisfy existing and increasing future customer requirements as well as enable meeting the complex needs of newer drug molecules like peptides or antibodies, many which need refrigeration or freezing.
The expansion will include new offices with 45 work stations, conference rooms and an archive room.
In addition to physical expansion to support the increase in customer projects, a permanent second work shift will be added in visual inspection over the next months. A second shift in quality oversight is also planned.
Dr Claus Feussner, Senior VP of Vetter Development Service, said: “This variety of activities is a further proof point of Vetter’s consistent strategic approach to stay ahead of the market by focusing on the important service needs of our customers during their drug development journey; promptness; flexibility; high yield of their valuable API and, of course, high quality,”
Since beginning full operations in late 2011, the IPSE Facility of the Year winner’s US early-stage development site has been expanding to help meet growing customer demands. As recently as 2016, the Chicago site expanded its storage capacity by 150% to 3,700 sqft.
Storage additions
With the new additions, most of which are expected to be completed by April, the site will increase its storage space by an additional 3,100 sqft. The new storage includes a 2,500 sqft freezer farm as well as a planned 600 sqft walk-in refrigerator. The 2011 expansion and those almost in completion have in total made 6,800 sqft of storage space.
A second extension, now in the final planning stage, will include an additional 1,500 sqft of room temperature and freezer space.
“When completed, the facility will have more than double the overall storage space we have currently available. This extensive expansion of freezer and refrigeration storage space represents the ongoing evolution in our Chicago business,” summarises Dr Susanne Lemaine VP of Vetter Development Service in Chicago.
