PCI Pharma Services has completed its acquisition of Ajinomoto Althea, Inc., a US-based sterile fill-finish CDMO and subsidiary of Japan-based Ajinomoto Co. Inc.

For PCI, the acquisition is a cornerstone of a multi-year investment strategy spanning facilities in the United States and Europe. In the United States, Althea’s assets combine with PCI’s existing sterile fill-finish and advanced drug delivery operations to form a large-scale manufacturing hub in San Diego, complete with large-scale aseptic facilities for prefilled syringes and cartridges. Among other categories, Althea’s campus specializes in customized, scalable oligonucleotides and peptides, supporting PCI’s existing manufacturing of complex formulations and lyophilization for a broad range of injectables – including nanoparticles, mRNA, MABs, proteins and other biologics.

The acquisition also adds high potent vial filling with lyophilization, expanding PCI’s sterile fill-finish capacity and serving as an expedient entrée into the rapidly emerging oncology modality of high potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). In fact, the move places PCI among the few US-based CDMOs capable of filling ADCs.

Assisted by the Althea acquisition, PCI’s goal is to be among the first CDMOs to bring the whole lifespan of advanced drug delivery and drug-device combination products under one corporate roof – a journey spanning PCI’s clinical trial supply network with cold chain storage solutions straight through launch and commercialization.

“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,” said Salim Haffar, CEO of PCI Pharma Services. “Concerning this latest step, Ajinomoto Althea enjoys a longstanding, well-earned reputation for producing novel biologics in various injectable formats. Welcoming Althea’s talented professionals into the PCI family strengthens our commitment to turnkey customer partnerships and, ultimately, our dedication to helping improve patient outcomes through life-changing therapies.”

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