Grand River expands capacity with Michigan fill/finish site

Sterile injectable contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) GRAM said the 150,000 square-foot fill/finish center at its Grand Rapids campus in Michigan will provide it with further capacity to meet the sectors increasing biologics pipeline and the increase in self-administered drug delivery systems.

This will be GRAM’s third facility in five years and construction has already begun. The center has been designed to house four syringe/cartridge filling and inspection lines and takes the CDMO to five production plants with over 450,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

“Demand for high-quality syringe and cartridge filling has never been greater, and we are thrilled to be able to add more capacity and meet more demand,” said Tom Ross, CEO of GRAM.

“Designing the filling center with space for future equipment positions us favorably to serve evolving client needs for years to come. We are enthusiastic about our growth and continue accepting request for proposals (RFPs) for syringes, cartridges, and vial fill/finish using our established facilities.”

The center is part of the company’s expanded Grand Rapids campus and sits adjacent to GRAM’s existing 200,000 square-foot warehouse site. According to the firm, the construction is expected to be complete in 2025 and its filling and inspection equipment is anticipated to be installed the following year.

Fill/finish activity

Over the last year, various firms have expanded their fill/finish capacity to meet industry demand. In October 2023, Lonza laid out its plans to expand its fill/finish capabilities, which is likely to reach $12.7 billion by 2027.

In February, Investment firm Novo Holdings said it will take CDMO Catalent private and sell three of its drug product manufacturing facilities to its company Novo Nordisk to boost fill/finish capacity for its glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs.

As the demand for GLP-1 and other drugs rises, Simtra Biopharma Solutions said in March it will construct a 150,000 square-foot building dedicated to fill/finish in Bloomington, Indiana. In the same month, Argonaut secured $45 million in funding to support its position in the fill/finish space and finance the firm’s ongoing expansion in Carlsbad, California.