Catalent Expands Clinical Manufacturing Operations

Catalent, a global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products, has unveiled plans to invest $30 million at its facility in Limoges, France, to create a European center of excellence for clinical biologics formulation development and drug product fill-finish services. The project is being supported by the Prefecture of Haute-Vienne, the Metropolitan Area of Limoges, the Limoges Haute-Vienne Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Regional Council of Nouvelle Aquitaine with a grant of €1.3 million.

With over 40 years of experience and expertise in supplying life-saving injectable medicines, and employing over 170 staff, the Limoges site will be fully modernized to handle large molecule programs, with additional capacity for small molecule dosage form development. The facility will work closely with Catalent’s other biologics sites in Anagni, Italy, Brussels, Belgium, Bloomington, IN and Madison, WI, to provide integrated clinical development and commercial manufacturing solutions.

The modernization of the 180,000 square-foot facility will include the installation of an Optima high-speed flexible line capable of filling vials, syringes or cartridges under barrier isolator technology, as well as enhancements to its analytical and quality control laboratories, which will commence in September 2020, with completion anticipated in 2022. Catalent also plans to gradually hire approximately 80 additional employees to support the new center of excellence and its updated capabilities.

“The European pharmaceutical market is thriving, and France is currently one of the top five producers in Europe,” said Mario Gargiulo, region president, Catalent Biologics Europe. “Our new center of excellence in Limoges will strengthen Catalent Biologics’ global and European capacities and our ability to bring new biologic treatments to market, faster. We are grateful to the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine for its support in making this exciting project possible.”