Part of the special news roundup of DCAT member companies for the DCAT Week ’17 Special Edition of DCAT Value Chain Insights (April 5, 2017)

Sharp Packaging Services, a division of UDG Healthcare, a contract packaging and clinical supply services company, has acquired a 146,000-square-foot pharmaceutical packaging facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from Daiichi Sankyo for $14 million and has invested £9 million ($11 million) to establish a new multiple-phase pharmaceutical manufacturing, packaging, and distribution facility in Wales, which will be a new center of excellence for the company.

The Bethlehem facility acquisition increases Sharp’s packaging capacity, and the company can now offer additional serialization options in bottling, blistering, and C-II packaging. The Bethlehem facility extends to over 16 acres with further development potential to expand to 235,000 square feet over time. The facility has been inspected by the US Food and Drug Administration and is approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The facility includes two high speed bottle lines, two blister lines, cold and frozen storage, office space and a 2,500 square-foot analytical laboratory.

As part of the transaction, Daiichi Sankyo will also become a commercial client, with Sharp providing packaging, clinical, and analytical services for several of their US branded products. In addition, Sharp will continue to offer employment to Daiichi Sankyo’s employees at the Bethlehem site.

For the new facility in Wales, Sharp’s £9-million ($11-million) investment is in addition to £500,000 ($624,000) of funding from the Welsh Government. The initial phase of the expansion will involve the acquisition and renovation of a 110,000 square-foot facility within the site. Initially, 75,000 square feet will be fitted out. The 10-acre site in Rhymney, South Wales also benefits from the potential for further capacity expansion. Sharp plans to commence the first phase of the expansion project in 2017, with completion expected for late 2018.

The new facility will replace the company’s existing site in Crickhowell, Powys and will triple Sharp’s clinical service capacity. The expansion will strengthen Sharp’s manufacturing and analytical capabilities and will add automated bottling, blistering, and serialization as well as interactive response technology services for clinical trial management.

Source: Sharp Packaging Services for acquisition and expansion