The Altdorf, Switzerland-based component manufacturer announced it was targeting the US market through the CHF 100m ($103m) investment last month, and the Delaware-located plant is expected to provide around 120 jobs once fully operational.
According to Megan Williamson, VP of Injection Systems at Datwyler, the firm already produces around 15 billion components for vials, bottles, prefilled syringes and cartridges for pharmaceutical use per year, but the new ‘FirstLine’ facility will cater to industry's changing demands for injectable drug delivery systems.
“There is an increasing demand for reduced particle loads in pharmaceutical containers. As a result, the requirements and expectations of vial, syringe, and cartridge components are changing,” she told in-Pharmatechnologist.com.
“For coated elastomeric closures, barrier properties alone are no longer enough to meet the needs of biologic drugs. In the conservative, data-driven industry of parenteral packaging, market trends indicate a growing demand for fluoropolymer coated elastomeric closures, primarily to mitigate risks related to drug stability and compatibility.”
Datwyler has operated a pharma packaging components facility in New Jersey since 1981, but this latest project will substantially increase the firm’s presence in the US.
“The new FirstLine plant is being built to serve the fast-growing and constantly evolving North American market,” she continued. “The opportunities in this market, and in Datwyler’s pipeline, support the need for high-quality components, ideally sourced from a local production facility.”
Construction is to begin before the end of the year and Datwyler expects the site to be operational by the first half of 2018.