Cambrex, a contract manufacturer of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), has invested $24 million in a new facility to manufacture highly potent APIs at its site in Charles City, Iowa.

The 4,500-square-foot production area will operate to an occupational exposure limit down to 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter and have a total reactor capacity of 2,200 gallons. The reactors 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 reconfigure the existing small-scale manufacturing area providing a single high-containment building to support early-stage development and manufacturing. Construction and installation of all new equipment is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2019.

This latest expansion is part of an ongoing strategic campaign by Cambrex to invest in small-molecule API development and manufacturing across its facilities and follows the opening of a $50-million, 7,500-square-foot multi-purpose manufacturing facility at Charles City in 2016, which added a total of 70 cubic meters of manufacturing capacity to the site.

Cambrex’s Charles City, Iowa facility is located on a 45-acre site and manufactures APIs and pharmaceutical intermediates, including highly potent molecules and controlled substances. The facility is authorized by the US Drug Enforcement Agency to import narcotic raw materials at commercial scale.

Source: Cambrex