Cambrex Invests $24 Million in New Highly Potent API Manufacturing Capacity

Cambrex Corporation recently announced it is to invest $24 million in a new facility to manufacture highly potent APIs (HPAPIs) at its Charles City, IA, plant.

The 4,500-sq-ft production area will operate to an occupational exposure limit (OEL) down to 0.1µg/m3 and have a total reactor capacity of 2,200 gallons, which will be made up from a range of 200-, 500-, and 1,000-gallon glass and Hastelloy vessels to manufacture batches from 50 to 300 kg.

The project will also reconfigure the existing small-scale manufacturing area providing a single high-containment building to support early stage development and manufacturing, providing flexibility across a broad range of scale. Construction and installation of all new equipment is expected to be completed by Q1 2019.

“This expansion is in line with Cambrex’s commitment to ongoing investment in small molecule manufacturing, as well as responding to the rising number of APIs that require specialized handling due to potency and toxicity,” said Shawn Cavanagh, COO of Cambrex. “Cambrex has built a strong reputation in the clinical-scale supply of potent and extremely potent molecules, and the flexibility this facility will give allows us to effectively handle projects throughout their development and commercial life-cycle.”

This latest expansion is part of an ongoing strategic campaign to invest in small molecule API development and manufacturing across Cambrex’s global network of facilities and follows the opening of a $50-million, 7,500-sq-ft multi-purpose manufacturing facility at Charles City in 2016, which added a total of 70 m3 of manufacturing capacity to the site.

Cambrex’s Charles City facility is located on a 45-acre site and manufactures a wide range of APIs and pharmaceutical intermediates, including highly potent molecules and controlled substances. The facility is one of a limited number authorized by the US DEA to import narcotic raw materials at commercial scale.

Cambrex Corporation is an innovative life sciences company that provides products, services, and technologies to accelerate the development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics. The company offers APIs, advanced intermediates, and enhanced drug delivery products for branded and generic pharmaceuticals. Development and manufacturing capabilities include enzymatic biotransformations, high potency APIs, high-energy chemical synthesis and controlled substances. For more information, visit www.cambrex.com.