Veranova, a Pennsylvania-based CDMO that specializes in manufacturing complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), plans to sink $30 million into expanding its capacity to produce antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at its Devens, Massachusetts facility.
In addition to building out more capacity, the project also aims to address demand for U.S. production of ADCs not other small molecules, the company said in a June 27 press release.
The expansion project calls for a new high-potent process development lab and a pair of new cGMP suites that will be able to handle potent compounds. Other elements of the plant expansion include dedicated air handling systems, airlocks for clean-in-place operations, isolator technology, and a comprehensive range of processing capabilities.
“We recognize the growing demand for development and manufacturing of ADCs and other highly potent compounds,” Mike Riley, Veranova’s chief executive, said in the release. “This investment signals our commitment to providing state-of-the-art capacity and capabilities to enable these next-generation therapies to reach patients, and is a key milestone as we advance our broader growth strategy for Veranova.”
The Devens site has been in operation for more than a decade, producing clinical- and commercial-grade ADC linker-payloads and other highly potent APIs.
Veranova was born out of the sale of Johnson Matthey’s health division to Altaris Capital Partners for £325 million ($412 million) in June 2022.