Catalent Pharma Solutions, a global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development services for drugs, biologics,, and consumer health products, announced Tuesday that work to expand its primary packaging capabilities at its clinical facility in Shanghai, China has reached the commissioning stage and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

The expansion includes a new automated, high-speed bottling line suitable for capsule and tablet products. The line will increase packaging capacity by up to 100 bottles per minute, and provides for quick and easy changeover, essential for clinical-scale production. 

“Globally, almost 2,000 industry sponsored clinical trials were conducted in the last two years,” commented Roel de Nobel, Catalent’s vice president, global operations, clinical supply services. “Our continued investment in Asia Pacific reflects the importance of, and the continued growth of clinical trials in Asia, driving the need for in-region packaging services.”

This expansion follows the announcement that work is underway to open a new clinical facility outside of Shanghai’s free trade zone. The new facility is expected to be completed in early 2019 and will join the company’s existing three clinical packaging facilities in the Asia Pacific region, namely in Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao free trade zone, Singapore, and Kakegawa, Japan.

In addition to its primary packaging capabilities, the company offers clinical supply services in the region, including clinical supply management, comparator sourcing, FastChain demand led supply, secondary packaging, storage, and global distribution and clinical returns and destruction.

(Source: Catalent Pharma Solutions)