Almac Group announces £11m investment to expand global analytical services
The Almac Group has today announced an £11m investment and the creation of over 100 new jobs to expand its global analytical services capabilities.
Over the past 18 months, Almac Sciences and Almac Pharma Services have jointly made this significant investment to expand their existing analytical laboratories, technology and resource to meet ongoing global demand.
Almac employs over 700 highly skilled analysts working in regulatory approved GMP laboratories across five locations in Craigavon, UK; Charnwood, UK; Souderton, Pennsylvania; Athlone, Ireland and Dundalk, Ireland.
Construction of new laboratory space at the company’s global Headquarters in Craigavon considerably increases overall capacity, while additional upgrades and development of existing labs across all sites mean Almac will increase its existing global analytical employee headcount by over 100 in the next 12 months.
With more than 55 years’ experience, Almac supports drug substance and drug product analytics across all phases, from early phase pre-clinical / clinical development to commercial release. The company typically develops over 1,000 analytical methods and validates over 250 analytical methods each year. Expert teams offer a comprehensive end-to-end suite of analytical testing for a range of product types including small molecules, peptide, biologics, conjugates, potent and controlled substances.
Almac has added a significant number of specialised instrumentation and techniques across several service lines including chromatography, spectroscopy and biologics.
The recent introduction of the Raman TRS100 system also offers clients a faster assay of tablets, capsules and other dosage forms. Additional investment in physical sciences equipment (XRPD, PSD, TGA and DSC) provides enhanced capability to support the company’s new spray drying offering from its Charnwood site.
A multi-million-pound digitisation upgrade across all sites, including further investment in Almac’s existing laboratory information management system (LIMS), highlights the company’s ability to seamlessly share information across multiple teams, departments and facilities offering clients a reliable, optimised and streamlined solution.
As part of its ongoing outreach programme, Almac has invested heavily in continuous training and development of its analytical experts. The teams also work closely with local academia to promote and develop a pipeline of talent by providing apprenticeship placements throughout the year.
Darren Thomas, Vice President Analytical Operations, Almac Sciences, commented: “We have experienced a significant increase in demand for our dedicated analytical solutions and recognise the importance of continually investing, not just in our systems and facilities, but also in our people. We are committed to offering a best-in-class service to our global client base and are delighted to continue at pace with significant investment across our UK, EU and US facilities in order to strengthen our competitive position in the marketplace.”
Trevor Clarke, Vice President Analytical Operations, Almac Pharma Services added: “We are positioned as the partner of choice with significant experience in a wide range of analytical services to meet the varying requirements of our clients’ unique development and commercial programmes. As we continue to expand our global analytical capabilities, we remain committed to delivering excellence. This significant investment in innovative technology, skilled talent, and state-of-the-art laboratories underscores our dedication to providing comprehensive analytical solutions for our clients worldwide.”
Today’s announcement is part of Almac Group’s £400 million investment to ensure Almac remains global leaders in the industry, giving clients, and ultimately patients across the world who benefit from these therapies, the best possible range of solutions.
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