W. R. Grace & Co., a global supplier of specialty silica and fine chemicals, says it is proceeding with an expansion of its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) facility in South Haven, Michigan. The expansion reportedly will bring a new 4,000-gallon multi-use reactor train consisting of glass lined and stainless-steel materials of construction. The expansion will also include a Hastelloy centrifuge to facilitate product isolation, which greatly enhances the commercial capability of the cGMP-compliant site, according to the company.
The project will bring South Haven up to three 4,000-gallon multi-use reactor trains enabling Grace’s Fine Chemical Manufacturing Services (FCMS) business to support continued growth of its small molecule drug production including custom active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), cGMP intermediates and generic APIs. The project is estimated for completion in January 2024.
In June 2021, Grace acquired the FCMS business from Albemarle as part of an expansion to support its pharmaceutical portfolio. The acquisition enabled Grace’s Materials Technologies division to triple its fine chemical footprint while leveraging its existing chromatography resins and formulation excipients in the health and life sciences markets, according to the company.
“The FCMS business has a promising growth trajectory being a leading CDMO in North America,” says Sandra Wisniewski, president, Grace Materials Technologies, in a press release from the company. “The additional capacity created through this project will enable our customers to develop critical drug therapies in areas such as oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular and antivirals.”
Read the press release at www.grace.com
