PCI completes acquisition of sterile fill-finish CDMO Ajinomoto Althea

Last month, PCI signed a deal to acquire Ajinomoto Althea, a subsidiary of Japan-based Ajinomoto.

This acquisition is part of PCI’s investment strategy to enhance its manufacturing capabilities in both the US and Europe.

The integration of Althea’s assets with PCI’s existing operations in San Diego is expected to create a major manufacturing hub, featuring advanced facilities for the aseptic filling of prefilled syringes and cartridges.

Althea’s expertise in scalable oligonucleotides and peptides will complement PCI’s current manufacturing of complex formulations and lyophilisation for various injectables, including nanoparticles and mRNA.

The acquisition also expands PCI’s capacity for high potent vial filling with lyophilisation, positioning the company to meet the growing demand for high potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

PCI has been developing its capabilities in this area, having established a new pharmaceutical development lab for potent and non-potent compounds at its Bedford, New Hampshire facility.

This facility, which is set to be GMP ready this summer, features advanced aseptic processes and a large-scale isolator filling line.

PCI CEO Salim Haffar said: “Our pharma customers and the healthcare personnel and patients they serve are the heartbeat behind each stride we’ve made throughout this ambitious investment plan in sterile fill-finish and advanced drug delivery solutions.”

In addition to the Althea acquisition, PCI has announced investments exceeding $365m to enhance its infrastructure for drug-device combination products.

This includes the construction of two new large-scale facilities at its Rockford, Illinois campus, which will support the assembly and packaging of prefilled syringes and autoinjectors.

These facilities are expected to be GMP ready by fall 2025.

In Europe, PCI has acquired a packaging and device assembly facility in Dundalk, Ireland, and expanded its operations in Dublin with a new 120,000ft² facility, set to begin operations in summer 2025.

Furthermore, PCI is investing an additional $25m in its Leon, Spain facility to implement a new high-speed filling line for syringes and cartridges.

Through these initiatives, PCI aims to consolidate the entire lifecycle of advanced drug delivery and drug-device combination products under one roof, enhancing its clinical trial supply network and commercialisation capabilities.