With expansion, UK dermatology CDMO MedPharm will double its presence in the US

With business thriving at MedPharm, a U.K.-based company that specializes in the development of dermatology, nail, mucosal membrane and transdermal products, there is a need for more physical space, both at home and in the United States.

This week MedPharm revealed plans to double its CDMO footprint in the U.S. with a new facility in North Carolina which will support process development, clinical and small-scale commercial manufacturing for semi-solid and liquid pharmaceutical products. 

The new facility, in Research Triangle Park, is located three miles from MedPharm’s current site at Keystone Technology Park in Durham. It will enhance the 22-year-old company's ability to grow its business in the U.S. 

The new campus will offer eight pre-weigh, compounding, filling and packaging suites plus an analytical and stability testing lab. The investment includes compounding tanks that range from 75 to 300 kilograms and packaging lines capable of filling tubes, bottles, jars and sprays.

The new site will add more than 20 new employees and provide MedPharm with 40,000 square feet of infrastructure in North Carolina.  

This expansion comes on top of another at home in Surrey, which the company revealed two weeks ago. That $2.13 million project will increase MedPharm’s 15,000-square foot headquarters by 35%. It's scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.

MedPharm didn't disclose the price on its North Carolina expansion.

Five years ago, MedPharm established operations in the U.S., launching a subsidiary, MP PharmaServices, with four employees. Three years later, when MedPharm announced a $4 million investment in the facility, it had 40 employees.   

RELATED: MedPharm receives new patents for MedSpray topical spray-on-film technology

On its website, MedPharm said it develops and manufactures “aesthetically elegant dermatological formulations,” including creams, gels, sprays, foams, ointments, lotions, mousses and lacquers.

The company also developed a new drug delivery system, MedSpray, and in 2018 licensed the technology to Pennsylvania company Virpax, which specializes in pain management products. MedSpray delivers transdermal patch technology in a metered-dose aerosol spray. The thin film patch created on the skin or mucosal membrane has been demonstrated in clinical trials to provide long-lasting efficacy for patients.

With the recent expansions, MedPharm will look for opportunities to develop new formulations and drug delivery technologies. 

“MedPharm’s investment in this (North Carolina) facility is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to a global vision by expanding client services downstream into commercial manufacturing," said CEO Eugene Ciolfi. "It is an extension of our development services and will also support our client base with their clinical and commercial pipelines needs for topical and transdermal products.”