Almac Completes Phase 1 of its Expansion Plan to Pharma Services Facilities

New £9m facility will ‘meet growing business need for its integrated product development and commercial services.’

Almac Pharma Services have today announced the completion of Phase 1 of the expansion to the company’s existing facilities at the Group’s headquarters in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. Supported by Invest Northern Ireland, a total of £9m will be spent over the two phases of the investment.

Phase 1 has seen the completion and handover of a three story extension to the existing commercial manufacturing facility which has expanded Pharma Services’ laboratory and office areas by 30,000 ft2. The new state–of-the-art laboratories enhance the existing analytical and microbiological services.

Phase 2 of the investment is ongoing and will see the expansion and update of the administration areas, and will be completed later in the summer.

This investment is part of the continued growth of the Almac Group that has seen recent completion of a specialist storage facility in Craigavon, and also the ongoing development of our 240,000 ft2 US Headquarters in Pennsylvania.

Graeme McBurney, President & M.D of Almac Pharma Services said: “Increased client demand for our integrated services, from Product Development to Commercial Supply, has resulted in this investment and expansion. Analytical and project management expertise and support in these service areas are a key part of providing a complete solution to our client partners.

“The provision of expert and consultative analytical services has also been key to our continued growth, and this significant investment allows for ongoing expansion, both in terms of space and the additional team members we will be recruiting. I look forward to working with the current and new members of our team to ensure Pharma Services’ success continues,” he added.

Welcoming the announcement, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “Almac is now one of the most respected, innovative companies operating in the highly competitive global pharmaceutical industry. This £9m expansion, supported by Invest NI, demonstrates Almac’s focus on servicing growing international demand for its specialist analytical services. Almac’s success is due entirely to the cutting edge research capability, expertise and commitment to business excellence which exists across the Group.”

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Contact

Tania Davis

Almac Pharma Services

Tel: +44 2838 363363

Carl Whyte

Stakeholder Communications

Tel: +44 2890 339949

About Almac Group

The Almac Group comprises five closely integrated divisions offering a broad range of services from R&D, translational genomic services, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and technology (IVRS/Web/EDC), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 2,400 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. Construction of the company’s new $112m North American Headquarters started in July 08 and is expected to be completed 2010. Almac was awarded Northern Ireland’s “Business of the Year” award in 2009.

For more information about the Almac Group, please visit almacgroup.com or e-mail [email protected]