What other DCAT Member Companies are making news from DCAT Week? A roundup of the latest developments from suppliers and CDMOs/CMOs of active pharmaceutical ingredients (small molecules and biologics), drug products, and packaging.

By Jacob White, Editorial Coordinator, DCAT, jwhite@dcat.org 

Companies making the news  
Below is a roundup of recent news announcements across the bio/pharmaceutical manufacturing value chain by DCAT Member Companies from DCAT Week, the flagship event of the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT).

Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing 
* Aurorium Launches Two New Product Lines 
* AGC Pharma Chemicals Expands HPAPI Capabilities in Barcelona 
Biologics Manufacturing 
* Ingenza To Move to New Facility to Expand Capacity 
* Samsung Biologics Provides Expansion Plan Update  
* WuXi Biologics to Open New Mfg Facility in Singapore 
* ST Pharm Expands into Gene Editing CDMO Services 
Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing 
* BSP Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on Strategic Plan 
* Oncomed to Open $48 M Syringe Production Line
* Jabil Acquires Pharmaceutics International Inc (Pii) 
Packaging 
* Praxis Expanding Packaging Facilities 

Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing 

Aurorium Launches Two New Product Lines 
Aurorium, a specialty materials company, has launched two new product lines. 

In January 2025, validation was completed for a new facility for compendia-grade sodium hydroxide solutions. This $2-million investment builds on over 25 years as the sole cGMP US NaOH pellet producer, which the company produces from its Midlothian, Texas site. 

Additionally, Aurorium is expanding its TIDES reagent portfolio, designed to support peptide and oligonucleotide API manufacturing. Leading the portfolio is high-purity piperidine 800, which is used in reducing impurities in peptide synthesis. The product was launched in 2024 and produced at large, commercial scale in Pasadena, Texas. Complementing this, a line of high-purity oligonucleotide reagents will launch in the second quarter of 2025 from the company’s Zeeland, Michigan facility, addressing the industry’s increasing need for ultra-pure synthesis materials. 

AGC Pharma Chemicals Expands HPAPI Capabilities in Barcelona 
AGC Pharma Chemicals, a CDMO of small molecules, has expanded its high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI) capabilities at its Barcelona site. 

The expansion will enhance AGC Pharma’s ability to scale up HPAPI production from grams to tons within a fully integrated ecosystem. Key features of the expansion include: 

• A new R&D laboratory featuring OEB5 containment systems. 

• New IPC/QC laboratories supporting all phases of development. 

• Upgraded multi-purpose Kilolab facilities, equipped with advanced OEB5 containment systems. 

• A manufacturing facility, scheduled for operation in the second half of 2025, featuring an OEB5 HPAPI bay with 1.5 m³ reactors. 

Biologics Manufacturing 

Ingenza To Move to new Facility to Expand Capacity  
Ingenza, a CDMO of small molecules and biologics, has announced its relocation to a new, multi-million pound facility at Edinburgh Technopole, UK.  

The facility is driving Ingenza’s growth plans, providing automated strain and cell-line construction, AI-enabled protein production optimization and up to 100-L fermentation/bioprocess scale. Operational in May 2025, it will more than double Ingenza’s current footprint, expanding capabilities and capacity in all service areas.  

Samsung Biologics Provides Expansion Plan Update 
Samsung Biologics has announced that the company will launch Bio Campus II, with plant 5 becoming operational this April (April 2025) in South Korea. Plans for Plant 6 are under review, which would expand total capacity to 964,000 liters upon approval.  

As part of its digital transformation, the company is integrating Samsung’s technologies to implement AI and digital twins.   

Samsung Biologics is adding end-to-end antibody drug conjugates (ADC) service offerings from its newly constructed ADC facility, along with a fully automated drug product pre-filled syringe line by 2027. Additionally, the company is introducing innovative development technologies —S-HiCon S-Tensify, S-AfuCHO, and S-OptiCharge— to enhance productivity and quality while expanding into cell and gene therapies and adeno-associated virus (AAV) modalities.   

Samsung Biologics is also expanding its global footprint with a new sales office in Tokyo, Japan, further strengthening regional engagement and collaboration across the Asian market. 

ST Pharm Expands into Gene Editing CDMO Services 
ST Pharm, a CDMO, has announced its expansion into the gene-editing CDMO sector, focusing on non-viral CRISPR/Cas therapeutics.  

By the second quarter of 2025, the company will establish GMP-compliant guide RNA production lines and further strengthen its capabilities to support CRISPR-based drug development. 

Leveraging its existing mRNA platform, ST Pharm aims to provide CDMO services for components of non-viral CRISPR therapies: 

1. mRNA with proprietary 5’-capping technology 

2. Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based drug delivery system 

3. High-quality guide RNA (gRNA) production (long-mer oligonucleotide) 

ST Pharm will expand its mRNA facility by mid-2025, integrating guide RNA synthesis for gram-scale production, supporting early-stage programs.  

WuXi Biologics to Open new Mfg Facility in Singapore 
WuXi Biologics, a CDMO of biologics, is set to commence operations at a new Singapore facility in late 2025, starting with an inaugural site tour scheduled for September 24, 2025. Representing a $1.4-billion investment, the facility spans 13.5 hectares (135,000 square meters) in Tuas Biomedical Park and adds 120,000 L of bioreactor capacity to support biologics manufacturing at both clinical and commercial scales.  

The Singapore site joins WuXi Biologics’ global network, which currently operates in four other countries. The facility will become operational in phases, with WuXi XDC serving as the first tenant. WuXi XDC is a subsidiary specializing in antibody-drug conjugates and bioconjugates. 

Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing 

BSP Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on Strategic Plan 
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Board of BSP Pharmaceutical’s, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, revised its mid/long-term strategic plan (2025-2030), driving a EUR 600 million ($651 million) expansion. The expansion adds four conjugation suites and three drug product (DP) suites to the company’s cytotoxic plant, plus one DP suite to the non-cytotoxic plant. Drug substance (DS) capacity will grow from 1,250 Kg mab/year to 3,500+ Kg mab/year (+181%), with bulk solution increasing from 125,000 to 350,000+ liters/year. DP capacity for cytotoxic vials will rise from 32 million to 61 million units/year (+91%), and non-cytotoxic vials from 38 million to 103 million units/year (+170%). The investment supports ADCs, liposomes, RNA-based onco-vaccines, and next-gen polypeptides. The phased expansion will be completed between 2028 and 2030.  

Oncomed to Open $48-M Syringe Production Line 
Oncomed Manufacturing, a CDMO, was slated to launch its new syringe production line in late March (March 2025) at its facility in Brno, Czech Republic. The EUR 44 million ($48 million) expansion will boost sterile manufacturing capabilities, adding an annual capacity of 100 million syringes (1-mL long). The investment includes a high-speed fill-finish line, a centralized preparation, compounding area, and advanced containment systems. Commercial production is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025. 

Jabil Acquires Pharmaceutics International Inc. (Pii) 
Jabil, a global manufacturing company across multiple industries, including pharmaceuticals, has acquired Pharmaceutics International (Pii), a CDMO of drug products. This acquisition strengthens Jabil’s pharmaceutical solutions, enabling support for drug development, clinical trials, and large-scale commercialization. 

Pii operates four advanced manufacturing facilities in Hunt Valley, Maryland, spanning over 360,000 square feet. These facilities include more than 70 manufacturing rooms, with specialized suites for high-potency compounds, hormones, oral products, and aseptic injectables. The integration of Pii’s capabilities expands Jabil’s expertise in parenteral drug delivery, complementing its portfolio of auto-injectors, pen injectors, inhalers, and on-body pumps. 

The acquisition provides Jabil end-to-end solutions from early-stage development through commercial drug manufacturing. 

Packaging 

Praxis Expanding Packaging Mfg Facilities 
Praxis Packaging Solutions, a packaging company, is expanding its pharmaceutical packaging facilities by over 125,000 square feet. Expected to roll out over several phases, plans include additional tablet filling suites, secondary packaging lines, and quality control lab.  

Praxis specializes in primary packaging services of solid-dose bottling and blistering of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals, as well as liquid, cream, and paste filling. Praxis also provides secondary packaging solutions, including high-speed labeling and cartoning, vial/syringe labeling, kitting, and multiple production lines dedicated to flexible full-scale DSCSA serialization and aggregation.