Ajinomoto Althea, Inc., a provider of biologics contract development and manufacturing services, is expanding the capacity of its fill and finish operations through the addition of a second manufacturing shift.

Althea's contract manufacturing business has experienced exceptionally strong growth driven by biotech companies outsourcing to Althea sterile fill and finish parenteral manufacturing to support their clinical and commercial drug programs. In 2015, Althea's business grew by 30% and it expects to continue on this steep growth trajectory in upcoming years. Althea's second shift will come on-line in early June, increasing the number of manufacturing slots for commercial and clinical drug programs.

To support this increase in its parenteral manufacturing capacity, Althea has invested in additional operational capabilities, more visual inspection suites, automated quality systems, and project management expansion. This expansion plan is one element of the growth strategies that Althea is deploying to accommodate not only the increased demand in its fill and finish business, but also in its microbial and plasmid DNA capabilities, its proprietary crystallization formulation technology (Crystalomics) programs, and its recently announced entry into the highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredient and antibody drug conjugate (ADC) bioconjugation and fill and finish services.

Source: Ajinomoto Althea