Sharp Services Invests $100 Million in US and European Facilities
Investments will bolster clinical and commercial capacity in US and Europe facilities for injectable and oral solid dose packaging, and sterile filling.
Sharp Services, an expert in pharmaceutical packaging, clinical trial services & sterile manufacturing, has announced a $100 million investment across its global facility network to address increasing market demand for established and new medicines.
With six GMP facilities in the US and three in Europe, Sharp is strategically positioned to provide clinical and commercial solutions worldwide. Expanding its services across its facility network will further extend the company’s capabilities to meet the needs of clients.
Kevin Orfan, President & CEO of Sharp, commented: “These multi-site investments at Sharp reflect our ongoing commitment to support the evolving needs of our pharma and biopharma clients in each of our core businesses. We are strengthening our service offerings across our entire network to provide more capacity, new capabilities, and greater efficiency, thereby reinforcing our role as a trusted and experienced partner to our clients as we help them bring important medicines to patients around the world.”
The investment in new injectable capacity in the US and Europe is in response to strong market demand for assembly and packaging of pre-filled syringes and autoinjectors, along with ancillary services. Sharp’s Netherlands facility is increasing GMP production capacity to accommodate new vial labeling, syringe assembly, and injectables packaging, which is due to come online in 2026. In Belgium, Sharp has begun a significant warehouse expansion, which will include additional cold-chain and ambient storage, and is building out a new syringe blistering production suite.
As part of this global investment strategy, Sharp’s Allentown campus will add a new pre-filled syringe assembly, labeling and packaging line, a vial labeler and high-speed cartoner, a mid-speed bottling and packaging line for OSD products, and automated pouch filling lines for powder and OSD products. This new equipment will add capacity to support existing products as well as provide capacity for new opportunities.
These investments in Allentown complement the recent $20 million investment announcement for autoinjector and pen assembly services at Macungie. The plan includes the installation of two autoinjector and pen assemblies, labeling and packaging lines at its facility in Macungie, US.
Sharp’s Bethlehem, PA, site, which offers clinical services from preclinical through to commercial, has commenced the installation of a 2-8 ºC production room with refrigerator and -15 °C to -25 °C walk-in freezer, two new capsule filling machines, and an additional blister line to package OSD products. These new clinical and commercial capabilities will be operational at the site by the end of 2025.
Sharp has also committed $28 million to significantly increase capacity at its sterile manufacturing facility in Lee, MA. The investment will support the installation of a fourth state-of-the-art isolator-based sterile filling line with lyophilization and several related infrastructural upgrades.
