Expansion at the facility in Hopewell, Virginia, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016 and will add extra capacity for the company’s Klucel HPC product range.
Klucel HPC is used by the pharma industry as a tablet binder and coating ingredient and according to the firm, demand for the ingredient has led to this investment, though no further details were disclosed when this publication contacted Ashland.
However, in a statement Ashland’s VP of Pharmaceutical Specialties said the firm “is committed to the overall pharmaceutical market,” as demonstrated in a number of recent investments in its pharma ingredient network.
Ashland opened a pharmaceutical centre of excellence in Hyderabad, India, earlier this year and recently expanded plants in Wilmington, Delaware, and Texas City, Texas.