The equipment will include a 4.5m³ hydrogenator capable of pressure reactions up to 10 bar, as well as supplemental conical and filter dryers. The project is due to be completed in mid-2022.

“The next phase of our strategic plan is to increase and enhance our capacity to develop and scale up processes for commercial readiness, and is testament to the continued, strong interest that we are seeing in small molecule development,” said Sterling’s CEO Kevin Cook. “Having the capabilities and expertise across a range of advanced technologies is crucial to ensure that Sterling can continue to be an industry-leading partner for API development and manufacturing, and meet the future demands of our customers.”

In September, Sterling completed the initial phase of investment at Dudley to create a center of excellence for research into commercial applications of continuous flow chemistry. The CDMO has installed multiple flow chemistry platforms in one of the site’s research laboratories to investigate a wide range of chemical processes, including photolysis, electrochemistry and hydrogenations, as well as equipment to undertake hazard evaluation studies.

Sterling’s team will initially focus on the rapid and successful development of processes to kilogram scale, with a view to future industrialization.

“Flow chemistry has the potential to open up applications within commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing that are currently used only within research and development or academic applications,” said Mark Muldowney, Sterling’s head of technology & innovation. “We are seeing significant interest in continuous flow development and production from customers and our goal is to provide scale-up expertise to leverage the benefits this technology has to offer in terms of efficiency, safety, and economics.”

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist