Almac expands in US with addition of Commercial Packaging facility in Audubon
March 7, 2012
Having identified a business need in the US for a flexible and high quality commercial packaging service provider, the Pharma Services business unit of Almac is proud to expand its established commercial packaging operations with a $10m investment in a new state-of-the-art 100,000ft2 commercial facility in Audubon, PA.
Bringing more than 30 years’ commercial packaging experience from its MHRA/FDA approved UK facilities and having established a reputation for delivering high quality, reliable and cost-effective commercial packaging solutions, clients can now leverage this expertise from a local US based operation.
David Downey, VP Commercial Operations said, “Addressing the communicated needs of our Clients, we have taken the strategic step of establishing a US based operation for commercial packaging services. For many years we have been bulk manufacturing and packaging US products from our UK facility. With the addition of the Audubon facility, we will now be able to offer these packaging services local to the US market place, providing cost saving and mitigating supply risks”.
Following completion of the evaluation and feasibility design work, refurbishment of the facility has commenced and systems handover is scheduled for Fall 2012.
Upon FDA approval, Almac will offer commercial primary and secondary packaging of tablets and capsules into bottles, blisters, wallets and hospital unit dose formats along with secondary labeling and packaging of biopharmaceutical presentations such as vials and ampoules. Complementing these services are dedicated teams in pack design & artwork management and in-house tooling fabrication. Significant warehousing in ambient, refrigerated and controlled drug storage completes the services offering.
Graeme McBurney, President & Managing Director, Almac Pharma Services said, “We are delighted to be able to invest in new facilities and establish operations in the US. With the alignment of our packaging processes at both our UK and US sites, we offer the highest levels of customer service and continuity of supply, through a flexible and quality lead operation”.
Notes to Editors
The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS® technology (IVRS/IWRS), 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 3,300 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.