West Pharmaceutical Services, a manufacturer of packaging and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products, has opened a new facility in Waterford, Ireland, a global center of excellence for West’s manufacturing network, and has launched a new product line, Westar Select.

The new, 20,500-square-meter facility, will produce West’s proprietary elastomeric laminate sheeting, which is used to package insulin for use in pen injectors. Additionally, the facility will offer finishing for components, including stoppers and plungers, produced at other West facilities. These services, designed to mitigate the risk of potential contamination and compatibility issues with packaging components, include pharmaceutical washing, West’s Envision automated verification system, steam sterilization, and flexible packaging offerings.

The Waterford site will also use Westar Select, the latest in West’s Westar quality-enhancement offering. In addition to a tighter particulate specification, Westar Select will be made available through a global manufacturing network with multi-site production capabilities to help ensure a continuous supply chain while helping to reduce regulatory complexity.

West’s Waterford facility currently employs approximately 100 people in both local and global functions, with plans for additional hiring. Commercial production in Waterford is expected this year (2018). West also has a manufacturing and development center in Dublin, Ireland that provides design, development, and manufacturing services for pharmaceutical and medical technology customers. The Dublin site recently completed an expansion to accommodate new customer programs and employs approximately 600 people.

Source: West Pharmaceutical Services