Drug development specialist Aptuit says it plans to invest $16 million in upgrades and new equipment for its facilities in the U.K. and Italy as well as add 90 scientists next year.
The ramping up is to help meet increased customer demand for discovery, chemistry, manufacturing and controls as well as nonclinical development studies, the company said in a press release. It will also bolster Aptuit's capacity and targeted investments in identification solutions, translational and biomarkers capabilities and late lead optimization strategies.
Greenwich, CT-based Aptuit offers drug discovery and development services from its facilities in Verona, Italy, and has an active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in Oxford, U.K.
"We are focused on helping our customers discover, develop and produce drugs with very high quality, whilst minimizing operational risks," CEO Jonathan Goldman said in a statement. "Our existing integrated discovery and CMC solutions remain best in class for scientific quality speed and cost."
Earlier this year, Aptuit sold two of its facilities to AMRI for about $60 million. In the two-step deal, AMRI bought Aptuit's facility in Glasgow, Scotland, for $24 million. That plant specializes in developing injectable drugs and provides clinical-stage manufacturing. The second part of the sale, for $36 million, was for Aptuit's operation in West Lafayette, IN, which allowed AMRI to expand its analytical testing services to include peptides, proteins and oligonucleotides.
The sale of the two facilities allowed Aptuit to move away from clinical manufacturing and solid-state chemistry to focus on the field of discovery and development.
- check out Aptuit's release