Catalent, the Somerset-based clinical supply solutions company, on Tuesday said it will spend $230 million to expand its plant in Harmans, Maryland, to meet growing customer demand.
The Harmans campus includes a now fully operational, state-of-the-art U.S. FDA- and EMA-approved facility comprising 10 commercial-scale manufacturing suites. A second facility is under construction following an initial $130 million investment by Catalent in 2020, which will add five new manufacturing suites that are expected to be operational mid-2022. This latest investment, which will bring the total investment in the eight new lines to $360 million, will include the construction of three additional multiroom commercial suites, as well as expanding the site’s storage capabilities for just-in-time inventory space, ultra-low temperature freezers and its water-for-injection infrastructure.
Other facilities, including multistory parking and an onsite cafeteria, are planned for the campus to support the significant anticipated growth in employee numbers. The expansion will see the creation of more than 700 new technical, scientific and operational employment positions over the next six years.
“Catalent is committed to continuous improvement and growing with our customers’ futures in mind. This necessitates that we consistently incorporate our own learnings and the latest developments in CGMP manufacturing into our new and existing facilities and operations, to help assure quality and derisk processes,” Manja Boerman, president, Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy, said in a news release. “By applying the expertise we have gained from the last three years of operating our flagship gene therapy commercial facility, we are able to continue to expand our campus with a design layout that is innovative, efficient, and provides ultimate flexibility for our customers.”
