The Spanish contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) has bought a Bosch GKF-702 capsule filling machine and is planning to add new rooms and capacity at its site in Pamplona as part of an investment exceeding €300,000 ($320,000).
“We are currently not offering automated capsule filling, so this will be a relevant addition to our service offering since we will start providing contract manufacturing services in capsules,” director of business development Manuel Leal Sanchez told in-Pharmatechnologist.com.
“We have extensive experience developing projects for clients in hard capsules, and we have also manufactured many small batches for clinical trials so far, but this new equipment will start bringing commercial manufacturing opportunities.”
Once installed and approved – expected early 2017 – the site will be capable of manufacturing up to 42,000 capsules per hour.
The investment has not been made to service a specific client but for “strategic reasons,” Leal Sanchez said.
“It is not project-specific, but we already have some ongoing products under development that we will be able to manufacture commercially for our clients with this new equipment.”
Increasing manufacturing focus
Earlier this year, API maker Suanfarma acquired a stake in Idifarma, providing the Spanish CDMO with greater access to non-European markets. Suanfarma has a presence in the US, India, China, Brazil and Mexico.
With this and the new investment, Leal Sanchez said his firm hoped to continue to grow its manufacturing presence and services globally over the next few years.
“Our plan is to keep serving and growing our client base as we invest in other technologies for development and manufacturing,” he said.
“Our business model as a CDO [contract development organisation] is solid and we have a great track record over our 15 years of history. The CMO part of our business is more recent and growing rapidly thanks to our focused and niche approach to contract manufacturing and our high potency capabilities.”