Aptuit invests in tablet tech at UK and Italy sites

08-Dec-2015 - Last updated on 08-Dec-2015 at 14:01 GMT

Aptuit facility in Verona, Italy was purchased from GSK in 2010

Aptuit plans to up tabletting and encapsulation capacity at sites in the UK and Italy less than a year after it increased API output at the same facilities.

The US contractor announced it would invest $16m (€14.6m) at the sites in Oxford and Verona and hire and 90 more scientists yesterday, describing the move as the first part of an “aggressive expansion” plan for the two sites.

CEO, Jonathan Goldman, said increasing capacity would enable Aptuit “to deliver more high quality integrated CMC and help our customers increase their chances of successful IND filing.”

Aptuit cited increasing customer demand as the driver for the investment, but did not provide additional details.

News of the investment comes less than a year after Aptuit opened a 1600L/1000L reactor stream at its API facility in Oxford, UK, and increased throughput at its 400L reactors at its site in Verona, Italy.

In January Aptuit sold two manufacturing facilities to fellow contractor AMRI. The $60m deal saw it divest its injectable drug manufacturing facility in Glasgow, Scotland and its peptide testing services centre in West Lafayette, Indiana.

At the time Goldman said “The sale of these sites to AMRI is part of our strategy to divest non-core assets and invest in our core competency of integrated early discovery to mid-phase drug development.”

He also it would “facilitate reinvestment in our core competencies” citing the Glasgow and Verona facilities as examples.