Vetter’s Skokie, IL site has successfully manufactured batches for use in early clinical trials on its new clinical syringe filling line. The line is part of expansion activities undertaken at the Skokie facility to meet customer demand. It also includes an increase in storage that is designed to help manage the growth in syringe fills and overall larger batch sizes. 
 
The site began full operations in late 2011, and has grown to include six new chest freezers, two upright freezers and two refrigerator units. As a result, storage will be expanded by the end of the year to increase capacity by 150%.
 
The company has also successfully launched an aseptic syringe filling line. “Year to date, a double digit number of clinical batches have been manufactured for customers and we anticipate a significant increase in the number of batches in the coming years,” said Dr. Susanne Resatz, president of Vetter Development Services USA. This reflects the trend the company sees through its continuous dialogue with new and existing customers, as starting syringe work in the early clinical phases can cut up to 18 months off time-to-market. “Given our experience at this facility with filling and lyophilization, many of our customers are returning for development work for a second, third, or even fourth molecule. As a result of this, our outlook for future performance is very positive as demonstrated by a solid pipeline filled with high quality customer projects for biologics.”
 
Vetter’s Skokie facility provides development support for preclinical through Phase II injectables, primarily complex biologics.