RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – UK-based MedPharm Ltd., which completed a $4 million expansion in Research Triangle Park just six months ago, is at it again.
The contract developer of topical and transdermal pharmaceutical products has announced plans to expand its manufacturing capacity in the U.S. MedPharm said it has found a facility in Durham, a few miles from its R&D Center of Excellence in RTP, to house liquid and semi-solid production and packaging.
The site, which will supplement the company’s UK manufacturing operations, should complete initial qualification by October of this year. The company did not disclose the location of the Durham facility, the amount of the investment nor the anticipated number of jobs to be created.
The new operation will allow MedPharm to manufacture clinical and early stage development quantities of its U.S. customers’ products domestically, the company said. The facility also should accommodate more manufacturing lines as needed in the future.
“MedPharm’s investment in this facility is a clear demonstration of our commitment to a global vision to expand services downstream towards manufacturing,” said company President and CEO Eugene Ciolfi. “MedPharm can now offer both clinical manufacture and formulation development for topical products in North America to complement similar services established for 20 years in the UK.”
The announcement comes close on the heels of the company’s move to its newly expanded laboratory and research space in RTP this past December. The $4 million investment tripled MedPharm’s local footprint to approximately 25,000 square feet. It was driven by increased demand for the company’s topical and transdermal services.
MedPharm said the expansion provided space for new pre-formulation and formulation development services as well as analytical, histology and microbiology suites that allow the company to offer a broader range of services to customers.
That expansion created space for more than 100 highly skilled scientific and strategic jobs, according to the company.
MedPharm’s presence in North Carolina dates back to 2016 when it launched its U.S. subsidiary, MP Pharma Services, in RTP.
MedPharm was established two decades ago in Guildford, England. It is a global leader in dermatology, nail, mucosal membrane and transdermal product development. MedPharm has approximately 226 employees and revenue approaching $45 million.
(C) N.C. Biotech Center
MedPharm increases investment in workforce, technology at RTP facility
