Catalent Invests $40 Million at Kentucky Manufacturing Facility

Catalent announced on April 29, 2019 that it is investing up to $40 million at its manufacturing facility in Winchester, KY. The investment will include new equipment that will increase the site's formulation and controlled-release tablet and capsule manufacturing capabilities and capacity. 

Other equipment included in the investment are a laser drill for osmotic drug delivery, stick-pack dosage manufacturing capabilities, and roller compaction and fluid bed capacity. Additionally, a spray dryer will be installed that will provide commercial scale-up capacity for projects starting at early stage development and will allow projects to be tech transferred from the company's development sites, including San Diego, CA, and Nottingham, United Kingdom, to client facilities. The spray dryer is used to create amorphous solid dispersions and to overcome formulation challenges posed by poorly soluble drugs.

In addition, an automated bottling line will be installed. Validations for the new equipment are expected to be completed in the coming months, according to Catalent. In 2015, the site also underwent a $35 million facility investment that doubled its footprint to 180,000 ft².

"Our Winchester facility provides customers with a high degree of flexible manufacturing solutions and has a proven track record of success with technology transfers and product launches," commented Rick Tucker, general manager, Catalent Winchester, in a company press release. "We have a clear investment strategy at the site that is not only driven by immediate customer needs, but also looks to the future in anticipation of demand and new technologies."

This current investment is the latest in a series of recent investments by Catalent. In April 2019, the company announced a $14 million expansion to expand integrated turnkey softgel capabilities at its facility in Eberbach, Germany, and a $5-million investment to expand its OptiMelt hot melt extrusion capabilities at its Somerset, NJ, drug development center. Additionally, in March 2019, the company revealed an investment of more than $27 million to commercialize Zydis Ultra, its fast-dissolving tablet formulation technology that incorporates increased drug load with taste masking into its Zydis oral disintegrating tablet, a freeze-dried tablet that disperses in the mouth without water. 

Source: Catalent