Cambrex Expands Charles City API Plant

(c) Cambrex
(c) Cambrex

Cambrex Corporation, a US manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has announced another expansion to boost its global network. This latest project will see an investment of $24 million in a new facility to manufacture highly potent APIs (HPAPIs) at Charles City, Iowa, USA.

The 4,500ft2 production area will operate to an occupational exposure limit (OEL) down to 0.1μg/m3 and have a total reactor capacity of 2,200 gallons, which will consist of a range of 200, 500 and 1,000 gallon glass and Hastelloy vessels to manufacture batches from 50kg to 300kg.

The project will also reconfigure the existing small-scale manufacturing area and provide a single, high containment building to support early stage development and manufacturing, with flexibility across a broad range of scale, Cambrex said. Completion is expected by the first quarter of 2019.

Shawn Cavanagh, chief operating officer at Cambrex, said the expansion was in line with the group’s commitment to ongoing investment in small molecule manufacturing as well as a response to the rising number of potent and toxic APIs that require specialized handling.

The company opened a $50 million multi-purpose manufacturing facility at Charles City in 2016. The facility, which makes a wide range of APIs and pharmaceutical intermediates, including highly potent molecules and controlled substances, is one of a limited number of plants that are authorized by the US Drug Enforcement Administration to import narcotic raw materials at commercial scale.

In May, Cambrex announced two expansion projects, one at its cGMP plant in Karlskoga, Sweden, and the other in High Point, North Carolina, USA, where it is spending $2.4 million to add a fourth reactor suite.

The installation of new multi-purpose reactors at Karlskoga is due to be completed by Q3 2017. The US expansion should be fully operational by early 2018.

Company

Logo:

Cambrex Corporation

One Meadowlands Plaza
07073 East Rutherford
US

Company contact







Interview

Specialty Chemicals in a Shifting World
Adapting to Tariffs and Strengthening Regional Networks

Specialty Chemicals in a Shifting World

Jennifer Abril, President & CEO of SOCMA, discusses the impact of new tariffs and the importance of regional supply networks in the specialty chemical industry.

Virtual Event

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
CHEManager Spotlight

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry

Save the Date: October 22, 2025
The event will be promoted to a combined audience of over 100,000 professionals across Europe through the CHEManager and CITplus networks.

most read

Photo
22.04.2025 • News

BASF Divests Two Joint Ventures in China

BASF has divested its shares in the joint venture companies, BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. and Markor Meiou Chemical (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. in Korla, China, to Verde Chemical Singapore Pte. Ltd.