Picture: PharmaBlock West Chester R&D Facility
Expanding Global Footprint and Enabling the Development of GMP Projects at PharmaBlock USA
The new West Chester site covers an area of four acres, with 30,000 ft2 of usable lab space. The site has a well-established R&D infrastructure, including process R&D labs, GMP suites, clean rooms, and GMP analytical labs. The new site also enables flow chemistry, micro-packed bed hydrogenation, and solid-state chemistry capabilities.
PharmaBlock took its first step in the US in 2012, with the sales and customer service office set up in the Bay Area of California. In 2017, the company established the process R&D facility in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. With 15,000 ft2 of lab space, the Hatfield site is fully equipped with process R&D labs and GMP kilo-labs. Multiple API and GMP projects have been delivered to US-based clients from this site. The West Chester site is a crucial addition to enhance the delivery of clinical-stage API projects at PharmaBlock USA.
Furthermore, a GMP manufacturing facility for intermediates and APIs with reactors of 500 L to 2,000 L is also planned at the West Chester site, expected to operate in 2024.
"We are excited to celebrate the grand opening of our new research facility, which represents a significant milestone for our company," said Dr. Jing Li, President of PharmaBlock (USA), Inc. "This state-of-the-art facility will enable us to provide our clients with the highest quality research and development solutions, and we look forward to continuing to innovate and advance."
Expanding the global footprint is one of the initiatives that PharmaBlock has been working on to strengthen supply chain resilience. In addition to the US facilities, PharmaBlock has multiple R&D and GMP manufacturing facilities set up in China to provide fully integrated CMC solutions for intermediates, RSMs, APIs, and drug products from development to commercialization. PharmaBlock is also seeking opportunities to expand its capabilities and capacity in other parts of the world.
Commitment to Sustainability
At the ribbon-cutting opening ceremony, a symposium on Green Chemistry in Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing was delivered, featuring presentations from leading voices in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. The invited speakers shed light on the latest advancements in green chemistry and explored the potential impact on the industry and the environment.
PharmaBlock has been investing in multiple fronts to improve the business sustainability of the company and the industry. In addition to the globalization strategy, green chemistry and technology innovation is an essential component of PharmaBlock's commitment to sustainability. The company has developed a comprehensive suite of solutions, featuring flow chemistry, micropacked bed hydrogenation, biocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, etc., to reduce the carbon footprint, address the chemical challenges, and make pharmaceutical production more efficient and safer. PharmaBlock has successfully applied these technologies from lab to manufacturing scale, including a number of commercial-stage projects.
Some new technologies are also being implemented at PharmaBlock USA. "We will keep investing in technology innovation, which will fundamentally change the way of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing," said Dr. Minmin Yang, Founder and Chairman of PharmaBlock, at the Green Chemistry Symposium, "Many of our partners have been benefitted from these innovative solutions, and I believe incorporating technology innovation in our globalization strategy will continuously creating values for our global partners."
About PharmaBlock
PharmaBlock (stock code: 300725.SZSE) is a global, fully integrated CDMO company that provides development and manufacturing solutions for drug substances and products throughout the development and commercial stages. Officially operated in 2008, PharmaBlock has partnered with almost all the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and hundreds of small to medium-sized biotech companies worldwide. Its ever-changing mission is to provide better products and services through the innovation of chemistry and low-carbon technology in R&D and manufacturing, and eventually to support partners to accelerate drug discovery and development, moving new molecules into the market fast.
About PharmaBlock (USA), Inc.
PharmaBlock (USA), Inc. is a subsidiary of PharmaBlock, a leading provider of innovative chemistry products and services throughout the pharmaceutical R&D process and commercial production. The company opened its first USA facility in the Bay Area of California in 2012 and established its R&D facility in Hatfield, Pennsylvania in late 2017. In 2023, it set up the second R&D facility in West Chester, Pennsylvania. PharmaBlock (USA), Inc. is providing process R&D services of intermediates and APIs to North American customers. Working with the Technology Innovation Center based in PharmaBlock China, the US team has successfully applied new technologies, including flow chemistry and micropacked bed hydrogenation, for more innovative solutions.