PCI Pharma Services is investing $50 million in a new 200,000-square-foot facility in Rockford, IL, to enhance capacity in injectable drug-device combination product assembly of biologics and small molecules.
 
The new facility is the second expansion building, based on the success in Philadelphia, and will house over 20 dedicated customer suites with multiformat machines for the assembly and packaging of vials, pre-filled syringes, auto-injectors, and pen-cartridge combinations. This machinery can be used for the glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists (GLP-1) class of drugs prescribed to treat diabetes and obesity, as well as those needed for oncology treatment and autoimmune diseases.
 
The Rockford site will provide product testing capability, state-of-the art top-load cartoning technology, and industry-leading injector and pen assembly equipment. Additional capabilities include on-site cold storage, high-speed vial labeling, assembly, and packaging of multiformat autoinjectors, serialization, testing, and drug product release.
 
This investment expands PCI’s specialty drug leadership presence in the Midwest, adding to clinical and commercial sterile fill-finish capabilities in Madison, WI. The new facility will provide a second hub within the U.S., expanding from PCI’s foundation in the Northeast, with Bedford, NH campus growth in aseptic processing. PCI also has sterile fill-finish capabilities at its Leon, Spain; San Diego, CA; and Melbourne, Australia locations. The expansion in Rockford is expected to bring 250 jobs to the region in the next two years and is expected to be fully operational in summer 2024.
 
“We see the tremendous impact that we can make with patients with this investment,” said Salim Haffar, CEO of PCI Pharma Services. “The need for injectable drug-delivery device combination product capacity and expertise is critical, and we are responding with a world-class facility to address the future demands of our global clients so they can focus on developing therapies to improve the lives of patients with serious chronic conditions.”