Catalent, a company that enables the development and supply of better treatments for patients worldwide, expanded the services and capabilities at its facility in Shiga, Japan. The expansion will include the storage, kitting, and distribution of advanced therapies at ultra-low temperatures for clinical trials.

State-of-the-art cryogenic freezers alongside material transfer equipment have been installed that are designed to retain the integrity of investigational advanced therapy products by minimizing their time-out-of-environment. The expansion forms part of Catalent’s ongoing global strategy to increase its ability to handle, store and manage advanced therapies for clinical supply, and follows investments at its facilities in Philadelphia, Singapore, and Shanghai, China, in specialized, ultra-low temperature storage capabilities.

The 6,000-square-meter Shiga site opened in October 2021 to support customers both locally and globally, providing flexible clinical supply solutions, including primary packaging, Catalent’s fast chain demand-led supply, white glove handling and logistics.

“The market in Japan for advanced therapies and new modalities continues to grow, along with the demand for companies such as Catalent that have the advanced infrastructure to handle the supply and distribution of these highly sensitive products, as well as the specialized expertise and comprehensive knowledge to manage these supply chains,” said Tadahiro Matsumura, Catalent’s President of Japan. He added, “This investment allows us to provide the optimum logistical solution for every customer’s individual needs, and the foundation to increase capacity as requirements change and grow.”

With sites in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Singapore, Japan and China, and an extended network of over 50 depots, Catalent said that its clinical supply services meet a broad range of international compliance and distribution requirements to support global clinical trials.