Rhodia facility upgrades on track

The Chambers Works site, latterly operated by Bristol-Myers Squibb, contains 11 synthetic, four analytic and four kilo-scale laboratories, as well as 17 reactors across six sites, ranging from 30 gallons each. It also bolsters Rhodia's technology portfolio with the addition of additional cryogenic, phosgenation and hydrogenation capabilities.

The transition to Chambers Works, located in Salem County, New Jersey, was completed earlier this year when employees from the company's Malvern, Pennsylvania, and former Boston site moved. The 101,000 square-foot facility is currently employing 60 people, including more than 30 chemists dedicated to process development.

"The Chambers Works site enables us to handle larger numbers of projects than were previously possible in Malvern and Boston combined,"​ said Nick Green, president of Rhodia Pharma Solutions. "The equipment at the site also allows us to take on certain projects in North America that were not previously possible,"​ he added.

A virtual tour of the Chambers Works facilities can be viewed on-line​.

Annan investment​

Meanwhile, Rhodia Pharma Solutions recently announced that it has received a £1.8 million (€2.7m) grant phased over three years from Scottish Enterprise's R&D Plus programme. The grant will help fund a £4.5 million upgrade of a production unit at the company's API and intermediates facility in Annan, Scotland. The unit is now involved with the manufacture of a cancer drug currently in clinical trials in the US.

"The Annan investment is part of a plan initiated a few years ago to upgrade the capability of our UK pharmaceutical development and scale-up facilities,"​ said Green.

Rhodia is the first company to benefit from the new R&D Plus scheme, which has gained approval from the European Union.