Sharp – a part of UDG Healthcare plc, a global leader in contract packaging and clinical supply services, has completed its relocation to its $23m state-of-the-art facility in Bethlehem, PA.
Sharp acquired the new Bethlehem facility for $14m in 2017 and has invested a further $9 million on refitting the facility and relocating services from its Phoenixville site.
The company has now completed its move to the facility which offers fully integrated, co-located clinical services including:
- Formulation development
- Analytical services
- Clinical manufacturing
- Packaging
- Clinical storage
- Distribution
- Interactive Response Technology (IRT).
Frank Lis, president of Sharp Clinical Services, said: “With the capabilities on offer at Bethlehem we provide greater capacity, scalability and automation to our clients and can simultaneously support multiple global phase III studies.
“With the Bethlehem facility, we’ve co-located our industry leading clinical services at one site – this dramatically reduces the risks, costs and supply chain complexity for our clients as we support them through development and every trial phase.
“Sharp has also added small scale commercial packaging capabilities to the Bethlehem site which enables seamless scale up to commercialization for our clients.”
The Bethlehem development has 1.5 million cubic feet of clinical services capacity on a 14-acre -site and increases pallet space for both cold and controlled-temperature storage by approximately 50%.
Sharp plans to expand capacity and introduce new capabilities at the site with automated syringe assembly/labeling, automated vial labeling and automated pouch filling as part of a global $1m-plus equipment investment plan.
Investing in the Bethlehem site is consistent with Sharp’s strategy of capacity expansion and developing strategic partnerships to support current clients and meet future demand.
The company has invested significantly in its global facilities over recent years including $11 million on its new Clinical Services Centre of Excellence in Wales, and the same amount on enhancing its injectable and cold chain capabilities in the US, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Sharp also recently announced a preferred partner agreement with Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing (BSM). The relationship enables Sharp to augment its services with 100% isolator-based sterile filling for syringes, vials and cartridges for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
ABOUT SHARP
Sharp, part of UDG healthcare, is a global leader in contract packaging and clinical services. Operating from eight state-of-the-art facilities across the US and Europe, Sharp has built an international reputation for delivering cost- effective blister packaging, bottling, secondary assembly and labelling of injectable presentations, compliance packaging, formulation and manufacturing services, label design and printing. We are also a world leader in ’Track and Trace’ and serialization services, with over 11 years’ experience in implementing serialized solutions for our pharma clients.
SHARP CLINICAL
Sharp Clinical offers a full complement of clinical trial services, including analytical, formulation development, clinical manufacturing and packaging, storage and distribution. Sharp also offers an interactive response technology (IRT) platform which can accommodate simple to complex randomization schemesas well as clinical supply chain management.
During 2018, Sharp Clinical invested $36 million in new dedicated facilities in both the US and the UK and can offer QP services for European distribution. We service every phase of the drug lifecycle from Phase 1 through to commercialization and through our global network of over 30 depots we can distribute to every region of the world. Our highly experienced team will help you optimize every aspect of your clinical trial. For more information on Sharp and its solutions, visit www.sharpservices.com
