PCI Pharma Services makes $365M investment in drug delivery device manufacturing

PCI Pharma Services announced that it’s investing more than $365 million in infrastructure to support assembly and packaging efforts.

The investment supports the clinical- and commercial-scale final assembly and packaging of drug-device combination products utilizing advanced drug delivery systems, with an emphasis on injectable formats.

PCI Pharma plans to put its investment toward new and expanded facilities in both Europe and North America. This comes as part of a global investment pan, anchored and funded by new business and designed to augment and accommodate future growth.

Investment at the company’s Biotech Center of Excellence in Philadelphia supplements precision handling equipment for prefilled syringes, syringe assembly and labeling, vial labeling and cartoning, and autoinjector assembly. PCI recently invested in complex automated advanced drug delivery technologies. The company said it enhanced capabilities and capacity at the Philadelphia location on these fronts.

PCI says its new projects further bolster its ability to manage the lifespan of its products from sterile drug product development and manufacturing through clinical trial supply, product launch and commercialization.

“This substantial, multi-continent investment places PCI Pharma Services at the forefront of the global advanced drug delivery solutions and drug-device combination product assembly landscape,” said Salim Haffar, CEO of PCI Pharma Services. “The new and expanded facilities and infrastructure showcase our commitment to meeting evolving market and customer needs for clinical-to-commercial drug-device final assembly and packaging, and furthers PCI’s overarching purpose of enabling life-changing therapies and patient convenience.”

More on the investment made by PCI Pharma

In the U.S., PCI plans for a 545,000-square-foot expansion at its Rockford, Illinois, capmus for drug delivery and drug-device assembly and packaging.

Within this phased plan, the company expects to take on a 475,000-square-foot project. That includes 345,000 square feet for advanced drug delivery injectable packaging and 130,000 square feet of additional warehousing. The space houses more than 20 customer sites with scalable technology for the final assembly and packaging of vials, prefilled syringes, autoinjectors and pen-cartridge combinations.

PCI also has plans for a further 70,000-square-foot expansion dedicated to advanced drug delivery and drug-device combinations. This includes a number of categories, including vials, prefilled syringes, autoinjectors and on-body injectors. The company plans to bring the plant online in two phases, commencing operations in the third quarter of 2025.

Additionally, in Europe, the company plans to amplify its presence with a newly acquired, built-for-purpose pharmaceutical packaging and device assembly near Dublin, Ireland. It also provides large-scale, temperature-controlled storage capabilities.

PCI expects to begin operations there in the fourth quarter of 2024. It plans for the facility to offer packaging and assembly for injectables and oral solid dose (OSD) drug products.

Elsewhere in Ireland, the company broke ground on a new packaging and device assembly services facility at its CityNorth Dublin campus. It anticipates increased capacity for the final assembly, labeling and packaging of injectable drug products. That includes vials, prefilled syringes and drug-device combinations, plus cold chain packaging for injectable and biologic products. PCI expects operations to begin there in the third quarter of 2025.

“Both new EU facilities will leverage PCI’s established multi-disciplinary expertise across operations, quality, engineering and project management. Scalable state-of-the-art equipment – as well as production-adjacent services such as dedicated in-house packaging design and analytical laboratories to support manufacturability – will deliver patient-centric packaging solutions and a streamlined commercial launch process,” the company said in a news release.

PCI also opened a further large-scale warehouse in Dublin. This facility incorporates cold chain storage capabilities to support customer demand.

“Overall, PCI’s growing footprint in Ireland provides enhanced commercial packaging capabilities and capacity for pharma and biopharma customers around the world, with a focus on the EU markets,” the company concluded.