Catalent Pharma Solutions is expanding its services in Japan, where it will introduce clinical supply services at its 200,000 sq. ft. cGMP facility in Kakegawa. The site, which has been providing oral drug development and manufacturing solutions for more than 40 years, will offer clinical supply solutions to meet the needs of both domestic and global clinical trial sponsors.

The facility will provide full-service solutions, including project management and clinical supply management, comparator sourcing, secondary packaging and labeling, clinical storage, distribution, and drug return and destruction. Construction has already begun at the facility and is expected to be fully validated and operational in the second quarter of 2016. The services it is to provide will complement those from Catalent’s existing footprint in Asia-Pacific, which comprise a full service primary and secondary clinical packaging and storage facility in Shanghai, a secondary packaging and clinical storage facility in Singapore, and an extensive regional depot network.

“Catalent’s site in Kakegawa will play a significant role in serving the market in Japan, the second largest pharmaceutical market worldwide and a key country for new global and domestic clinical trials,” said Wetteny Joseph, president of clinical supply services, Catalent. “The Asia-Pacific region is a key part of our strategic growth initiatives and our site in Japan adds to Catalent’s overall clinical supply capabilities in the region, where we will continue to make investments necessary to help meet customers’ existing and future clinical trial demands.”