Legacy nabs Missouri plant to amp up logistics and packaging work

Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging has scored a new plant near its home base in St. Louis to beef up its packaging and logistics capabilities and eventually accommodate some new manufacturing lines it recently bought from distribution giant McKesson.

On Thursday, Legacy bought a 215,000-square-foot facility to grow the company's over-the-counter and prescription drug packaging business, plus third-party logistics and distribution services. The new site brings Legacy's total footprint to more than 500,000 square feet.

The privately-owned packager churns out blistering, pouching and other secondary drug packaging, as well as high-speed bottle filling, for a variety of drugmakers. Besides its FDA approval, the packager is licensed by the DEA to handle controlled substances. 

That boosted fill/finish capacity comes at a time when supply chains are stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic and major drug companies are scrambling to deliver coronavirus treatments and vaccines at breakneck speed—and forging deals to store those treatments.

Looking ahead, the company aims to bring future product lines to the site. Legacy recently bought three high-speed blistering and cartoning lines from Memphis-based McKesson RxPak, which it plans to relocate to the new Missouri annex. 

in the meantime, though, Legacy plans to dole out space in the new facility to several departments across its prescription drugs and OTC businesses, including a management team that monitors inventory and orders in real time—an effort designed to prevent shortages. It will also house an automated oversight effort to track drug quality and price competitiveness.

Legacy aims to round out the site with a warehousing and shipping wing for the delivery of finished products, plus labeling equipment that will speed up turnaround on drugs with just-in-time labeling.