Catalent is investing $50 million to install an additional high-speed vial filling line at its Bloomington, IN facility. The new line is expected to be operational by April 2021 and will add capacity to support the growing pipeline of clinical programs and commercial launches at the site. It will provide sufficient capacity to produce up to 80 million vials annually under barrier isolator technology and a peristaltic pump filling mechanism, consistent with cGMP regulations.

The Bloomington site has been able to accelerate the overall project from a typical 18-month timeframe to approximately 10 months in total, including construction, procurement, installation, and cGMP qualification of the new line.

“The industry has seen an increased demand for vial filling of biologic drugs, which has been compounded by the accelerated development of vaccine and therapeutic candidates to address the COVID-19 pandemic,” commented Mike Riley, Region President, Biologics, North America. “Catalent’s continued investment in this capacity will allow us to remain flexible and continue to support the growth of our customers’ programs.”

This is the third major investment in the last two years at the Bloomington site. By the end of 2021, the site will have high-speed filling capacity across three vial lines, two syringe lines, and a flexible line capable of filling vials, syringes, or cartridges.