Argonaut to expand fill/finish capabilities in California

CMO Argonaut Manufacturing Services will use capital investment led by Telegraph Hill Partners to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Carlsbad, California.

Contract manufacturing organization (CMO) Argonaut serves the life sciences, biopharma, and molecular diagnostics space. While specific financial details have not been disclosed, the firm said the investment will be focused on expanding its Carlsbad manufacturing facilities by installing a fill/finish line.

According to Argonaut, the addition of a fill/finish line will expand the CMO’s footprint on the west coast and the added capacity for vials will support syringe and cartridge filling as well as more than double the capacity of its existing filling line. The line will use isolator-based technology and deploy robotic handling of components.

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“When the expansion is completed, Argonaut will have 2 isolator-based filling lines, with space for a third line to be installed in the future,” a spokesperson for the firm told BioProcess Insider.

“The current expansion will more than double the current capacity offering and will also approximately double the batch size that can currently be offered, going from 25-30,  2R vials/batch to 50-60,000 2R vials/batch. This expansion will also add the capability to fill syringes and cartridges.”

Argonaut said the added capabilities will also include complex formulation of parenteral drug products and the CMO will make different investments to support its molecular diagnostics business, and thus help its life science customers.

“We have not yet announced a staffing plan associated with this expansion, but we do anticipate the need to scale the business in a number of functional areas as this new capacity comes online in 2025,” the spokesperson said.

“While we currently support a number of clients in Europe and Asia (as well as North America), our near-term plans do not include a physical manufacturing presence in these two markets.”