PCI Pharma Services has officially opened a new Clinical Services Center of Excellence in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, a press release reported. The establishment is the first of its kind in the New England region to target the growing global demands of biologics developers.
“As the northeast biopharma market continues to grow, we are bringing distinctive clinical supply capabilities to the backyard of product development, creating a personalized and responsive approach to evolving client needs,” said Salim Haffar, CEO, PCI Pharma Services. “This newest facility follows our growth in facilities in Berlin, Germany and Rockford, Illinois, and will create significant local job growth potential.”
The purpose of the new facility is to facilitate packaging, distribution and cold chain storage processes of developing innovative therapies.
“Boston is a booming biotech market with hundreds of local organizations developing new compounds in the biologics space,” said Craig LaMarca, general manager of Boston Clinical Trial Services, PCI Pharma Services. “The facility features leading technologies and capabilities, making it a crucial component to help our clients deliver life-saving therapies to patients safely and efficiently.”
The company installed a capacity for a -20°C freezer, 35 ultra-low temperature freezers at -80°C and 12 liquid nitrogen freezers to maintain the required cold chain infrastructure for biologics and gene therapies.
“The Center of Excellence also features a temperature-controlled room containing a 5,000-square-foot cooler at 2° to 8°C, each with five levels of warehouse racking,” a recent press release explains. “A 1,000-square-foot cold secondary packaging room will eventually be converted to primary packaging with the planned construction of an additional secondary packing unit.”
Operations will take up 50,000 square feet of the new 100,000-square-foot building, leaving the remaining space available for leasing.
The launch is the latest expansion effort made on behalf of the company, who has already established a presence across three continents. Its six existing sites are based in Bedford, New Hampshire; Berlin, Germany; San Diego, California; Rockford, Illinois and Melbourne, Australia.