Xellia Pharmaceuticals has completed the expansion of its new $13 million centralized laboratory services building at its Budapest manufacturing site. The expansion strengthens Xellia’s global anti-infective product capabilities with additional product stability and release testing expertise and capabilities.

The new 3,000 square-meter, multi-story building accommodates state-of-the-art microbiology and chemical analytical laboratories, a product stability center and administrative offices. It is located next to Xellia’s current active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing plant, which employs 250 people.

The new facilities will play a significant role in Xellia’s global operational strategy, strengthening its product release and stability testing services for APIs and finished dosage form (FDF) produced across the company’s other sites in the U.S., China and Denmark. The expansion has resulted in the creation of over 40 new roles within the quality team already and with recruitment still ongoing Xellia is aiming to increase the team at the centralized laboratory services operation to around 80 employees by 2019.

“As anti-microbial drug resistance continues to pose a very real international threat, our work in the production of specialty anti-infectives is more important than ever,” said Carl-Åke Carlsson, chief executive officer, Xellia. “Many of the medicines that we manufacture are antibiotics of last resort, used to treat patients when all other treatments have failed. As a world-leading manufacturer we are committed to providing a high quality, secure and safe product supply.”