The expansion - financial terms of which were not disclosed - means the UK contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) can develop and manufacture a customer product from early formulation development through clinical manufacture and into commercialization.
The expansion also means Aesica can now conduct formulation development work on highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and controlled drugs. Previously the firm could only offer such services for commercial-stage projects.
Managing director Ian Muir cited customer demand as the driver for the expansion.
“We have taken the strategic initiative to ensure that our high capacity Queenborough Development Centre, which doubles our development capacity, combined with our commercial manufacturing capabilities at the facility, provides a complete service offering for formulation, development and product manufacturing for multiple customers.”
He added that: ‘High potency is a key contract services market, with strong growth potential, requiring a mix of highly specialised and advanced technological skills and capabilities.”
The investment follows a few months after Consort Medical-owned Aesica relocated its clinical trial supply manufacturing operations to the Queenborough.
Previously, operations were based at a leased facility at the BioCity biotech and drug production hub in Nottingham.