Catalent announces $100M expansion of Italian facility

Somerset-based drug delivery technology company Catalent announced a $100 million, multiphased expansion program at its facility in Anagni, Italy, that will enable it to add biologics drug substance manufacturing capabilities and support the growing European market for biologics.

The company said the site, already a world-class biologics and oral dose manufacturing facility, was acquired in January 2020 and serves as a major hub for European COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing.

The first phase of the expansion will see the installation of two bioreactors within new, purpose-built manufacturing suites, as well as associated investments. The initial phase will also see the creation of infrastructure for up to six more bioreactors.

“Catalent is committed to supporting customers from small and virtual biotechs to large biopharma companies that require the right capabilities, scale of capacity and integrated solutions to meet their needs for new biologic therapies and vaccines,” Mario Gargiulo, Catalent’s region president, biologics, Europe, said in a prepared statement. “Catalent was an early adopter of single-use technology because of its flexibility, and we continue to invest in technology that enables adaptable, scalable solutions for the fast-growing segment of biologics addressing midsized and orphan patient populations.”

The first phase is expected to be operational in April 2023, and will increase the site’s workforce by as many as 100 employees. Later phases will see the addition of further manufacturing capacity.