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Sharp Packaging Services Expands U.S. and UK Ops

Acquires Daiichi’s Bethlehem PA facility, invests $11.3M in South Wales site

Sharp Packaging Services, a division of UDG Healthcare, plc, has acquired a pharmaceutical packaging facility in Bethlehem, PA from Daiichi Sankyo for $14 million. The 146,000 sq.-ft. pharmaceutical grade packaging facility will offer additional packaging capacity under the management and serialization team of Sharp’s nearby Allentown campus. 
 
The company can now offer additional serialization options in bottling, blistering and C-II packaging, as well as extended redundancy and risk mitigation. 
 
The Bethlehem facility offers further development potential to expand to 235,000 sq.-ft. It isFDA inspected and DEA approved and includes two high speed bottle lines, two blister lines, cold and frozen storage, office space and a 2,500 sq.-ft. analytical lab. As part of the transaction, Sharp will provide packaging, clinical and analytical services for several of Daiichi’s U.S. branded products. Sharp will continue to offer employment to Daiichi’s employees at the Bethlehem site.

Doug Hill, senior vice president and general manager of Sharp U.S. Packaging said, “We are delighted to be able to add further capacity and expertise to our commercial and clinical businesses in the US market in response to growing demand for our services across all packaging formats, particularly as our industry moves towards the DSCSA serialization deadline in November 2017”. 
 
“Given Sharp Packaging Services’ excellent track record and expertise in delivering commercial and clinical packaging solutions, we are delighted for both our customers and employees that Sharp have secured the long-term future of the Bethlehem packaging facility,” said Ken Keller, president, administrative and commercial, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Sharp Packaging Services is expanding in the UK as well, investing $11.3 million in a new facility in Rhymney, South Wales for its clinical packaging business. The initial phase of the expansion, which is expected to be completed by late 2018, will involve the renovation of a 110,000 sq.-ft. facility within the site, more than tripling the size of the current UK facility. Initially 75,000 sq.-ft. will be fitted out. The site also offers the potential for further capacity expansion.
 
Mike O’Hara, managing director of Sharp Packaging Services said, “In line with our growth strategy, we are delighted to announce two exciting developments for the Sharp division. We continue to add further capacity and scalability to both our commercial and clinical packaging businesses in response to growing demand for our packaging services.”

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