Cambrex Corporation, the leading manufacturer of small molecule innovator and generic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), has announced that it is to commence a $5 million expansion of laboratory facilities at its Karlskoga, Sweden site, to augment capability and capacity for process development and scale up, handling of potent substances, crystallization studies and solid phase characterization. Construction work on the three storey, 600 m2 building will commence at the end of Q2 2018, with completion due in Q2 2019.

The expansion will create space for a new technical laboratory with walk-in hoods for large scale laboratory syntheses up to 10 liters, where engineers and chemists will undertake tech transfer studies. The new investment will also enable handling of potent substances at a large laboratory scale, high pressure reactions and parallel synthesis for API route scouting and development.

In addition to the technical laboratory, the expansion will feature two analytical development and quality control laboratories and additional office space for 12 additional scientists and chemists, taking the total headcount to 60.

“We have a rich history in chemistry at our Karlskoa site, dating back 120 years to Alfred Nobel himself in 1896,” commented Bjarne Sandberg, Managing Director at Cambrex Karlskoga. “The new laboratory expansion will enhance our ability to provide global customers with scientific and chemical excellence.”

In 2017 Cambrex announced that it had upgraded its continuous flow capabilities in Karlskoga with a dedicated commercial-scale unit, capable of producing multiple metric tons of high purity API intermediates per annum. To complement these capabilities, the company also completed the installation of multiple continuous flow reactor platforms at its process development facility in High Point, North Carolina. This investment is focused on the rapid and successful development of processes to supply clinical as well as commercial demand for chemical syntheses.