Johnson Matthey’s Fine Chemicals Division has completed an expansion of its Cambridge, UK facilities, bringing additional process research & development services and kilo-scale manufacture to the growing site. This investment supports the use of the company’s catalyst and biocatalyst technology in process R&D and non-GMP production of materials for pre-clinical pharmaceutical and toxicology studies.

The expansion will accommodate teams of chemistry and biocatalysis process R&D scientists who will provide route scouting, process development, optimisation and scale-up of heterogeneous, homogeneous and biocatalytic processes, as well as the non-GMP kilo-scale manufacture of APIs and intermediates.

“The completion of this investment follows our recent acquisition of pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in Annan, Scotland and the Pharmorphix solid form sciences business based in Cambridge, UK,” said John Fowler, Division Director at Johnson Matthey Fine Chemicals. “It further supports our expanding global pharma services offering to enable our customers with the rapid development and sustainable manufacture of pharmaceuticals.”

The expanded facility includes 20 fume cupboards, two new kilo labs with capacity up to 100 L, a 20 L Hastelloy pressure vessel (operating to 50 bar) and fermenters for enzyme production.