Northern Ireland-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Almac is continuing its expansion tear with the opening of a new 65 million pounds sterling ($83.7 million) commercial production plant at its headquarters in Craigavon.
The 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is equipped with high-specification production suites that feature “the latest in pharmaceutical manufacturing technology," according to a March 11 press release. The plant is specifically designed to produce oral treatments in a range of therapeutic areas.
Construction wrapped up late last year and the doors to the new site opened March 11, according to Almac.
With the new digs, Almac hopes to position itself to “react to a number of trends” that it sees in the development space, such as surging demand for potent oncology therapies and more interest in patient-centric drug products, managing director at Almac Pharma Services, John McQuaid, explained in an interview with Fierce Pharma.
All told, the investment marks the company's latest move in its ongoing global expansion program. Back in 2022, Almac rolled out plans for a £250 million ($321 million) growth drive to add 1,800 new jobs globally. Since then, it's cranked up its projected investment to more than £400 million ($514 million).
Almac Pharma Services specifically employs more than 1,800 staffers across its four locations in the U.K., Europe and the U.S., supporting clients across more than 70 countries. The new facility in Northern Ireland should add 300 to 400 new jobs, according to McQuaid.
Other recent projects include two new facilities at the Craigavon headquarters that add capacity for peptide manufacturing and packaging for sachet drug products.
Almac's growth spurt continues
While some CDMOs are just now overcoming an industry slowdown that came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, McQuaid said his company has been able to grow throughout the last few years thanks to its “strong project management” and its partnership approach with clients, as opposed to a strictly transactional relationship.
The private company’s unique ownership structure also makes it "more stable, long-term partner,” he added. Almac is owned by the McClay Foundation, established by late founder Sir Allen McClay, and reinvests the majority of its profits back into its business.
Despite the recent investments, “we can never stand still,” McQuaid said. The next stage of expansion for the company will likely be in commercial packaging capabilities to go with its additional manufacturing capabilities, while future investments could be in digital infrastructure to assist with the rise of AI programs.
Industry-wide CDMO growth may be in the cards in the coming years, with analytics firm Evaluate previously predicting that the CDMO market is poised to outpace overall pharma growth through 2028. McQuaid agrees that the industry is “quite buoyant” now after COVID as the sheer number of new drugs and clinical trials continue to grow.