PPD to Expand GMP Lab in Ireland to Enhance Biopharmaceutical Testing Capabilities
April 28 2021 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Adding cell and gene therapy capabilities to
support growing customer need
PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPD), a leading global contract research
organization, is expanding its Athlone, Ireland, GMP (good
manufacturing practices) laboratory, significantly increasing the
size of its current facility and adding cell and gene therapy
testing to the operation’s portfolio of services.
The expansion enhances PPD’s ability to deliver global
scientific and technical expertise to meet growing customer demand
in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.
By offering these services at its Athlone operation, PPD can
provide clients in these locations with the same services already
available in the U.S. through its Middleton, Wisconsin, GMP
lab.
“Our enlarged operations will enhance our capabilities in
leading technologies related to biopharmaceutical testing and
specialty testing for biologics and small molecules,” said
Christopher Fikry, M.D., executive vice president of PPD®
Laboratories. “This expansion will enable PPD to provide customers
with additional services aimed at reducing time to market for new
drug products in important areas such as cell and gene therapies.
We are thankful our expansion has been welcomed and supported by
the Irish government and IDA Ireland, and we’re confident these new
developments will benefit our customers.”
The Athlone GMP lab provides fully integrated analytical
services across all phases of pharmaceutical development and
commercialization, helping clients fulfill regulatory requirements
for release testing and qualified person (QP) services for clinical
and marketed pharmaceuticals, including small and large molecules,
inhaled products, and cell and gene therapies.
The current 4,460 sq. meter (48,000 sq. foot) operation will
grow to 7,710 sq. meters (83,000 sq. feet) upon completion of the
project, which is expected to be fully functional by mid-2022 and
is projected to create 180 new jobs over the next three years. The
current operation employs nearly 300 highly skilled scientists and
project managers who support the demand for PPD’s services, which
includes testing to support the development of novel and advanced
pharmaceuticals and therapies.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Leo
Varadkar TD said: “I’m really pleased that PPD is continuing to
invest in its Athlone operations in an expansion that will create
180 jobs over three years and significantly add to the capabilities
of the company’s current facility. This is a really positive
development for Athlone and the Midlands Region.”
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and
Employment with responsibility for Trade Promotion Robert Troy TD
said: “I am delighted to see PPD announce plans to expand its
presence in Athlone. This is a significant expansion, which will
result in the creation of 180 jobs for highly skilled scientists.
This announcement demonstrates that Athlone and the Midlands region
have the skills, talent, people and connectivity that will enable
companies like PPD to embed and grow their operations here.
Regional job creation is a key priority of this Government and we
will be working to secure further investment for all regions in the
months and years ahead.”
CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan added: “Today’s announcement
by PPD demonstrates the company’s commitment to Ireland and indeed
the Midlands Region where it has been in operation for more than 10
years. It will allow the company to avail itself of the rich talent
pool that exists in the Midlands and will provide an economic and
employment boost to the local and wider Midlands region. We wish
PPD continued success.”
In addition to the lab in Athlone, PPD Laboratories includes GMP
labs in Middleton, Wisconsin; bioanalytical labs in Middleton and
Richmond, Virginia; central labs in Shanghai, China, Brussels,
Belgium, Highland Heights, Kentucky, and Singapore; biomarker labs
in Highland Heights and Richmond; a vaccine sciences lab in
Richmond; and a multipurpose bioanalytical, biomarker and vaccine
sciences lab that is nearing completion in Suzhou, China.
About PPD
PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing
comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and
lifecycle management services. Our customers include
pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and
government organizations. With offices in 47 countries and more
than 27,000 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative
technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to
quality to help customers bend the cost and time curve of drug
development and optimize value in delivering life-changing
therapies to improve health. For more information, visit
www.ppd.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. These
statements often include words such as “expect,” “believe,”
“project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “target” and other similar
expressions. Although we believe these forward-looking statements
are based on reasonable assumptions at the time they are made, you
should be aware that many factors could affect our actual financial
results, and therefore actual results might differ materially from
those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that
might materially affect such forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, the fragmented and highly competitive
nature of the drug development services industry; changes in trends
in the biopharmaceutical industry; our ability to keep pace with
rapid technological changes that could make our services less
competitive or obsolete; political, economic and/or regulatory
influences and changes; the risks related to the planned
acquisition of PPD by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; and other
factors disclosed under the “Risk Factors” section in our periodic
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
including our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available
on our website at https://investors.ppd.com or the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. We assume no obligation and disclaim any duty to
revise or update any forward-looking statements, or make any new
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable
law.
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Media: Randy Buckwalter +1 919 456 4425 media@ppd.com Investors:
Tracy Krumme +1 910 558 4186 investors@ppd.com
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