Sharp Expands Commercial Packaging Capabilities To UK Facility

Sharp, part of UDG Healthcare plc, a global leader in pharmaceutical contract packaging and clinical supply services, has invested £1M in a commercial expansion project at its site in Rhymney, UK.

Since the Rhymney facility opened in late-2019 as a clinical packaging centre of excellence, the company has received a number of enquiries for commercial primary and secondary packaging services.

After making the investment and receiving a commercial license in January of this year, Sharp can now meet demand for commercial packaging of a number of drug formats, including cold and thermoform blisters, bottles, capsules, syringes and medical device kitting.

The capacity expansion included new primary and secondary packaging rooms as well as installation of blistering equipment and automated cartoners. The new integrated lines feature inline conveyor systems and automatic blister feeding to increase capacity and offer faster packaging lead times.

Ian Morgan, General Manager of Sharp, said: “We are delighted to be able to extend our production capabilities to include commercial packaging. This new investment will allow us to offer complementary services to new clients, without compromising our existing clinical trial capabilities.

“This expansion will also enable Sharp to broaden its offering in Europe for primary blister packaging activities to potential new clients from the Rhymney facility.”

Sharp is planning to introduce new serialisation, aggregation and authentication equipment with further investment to support broader service delivery and future growth within the company for new and existing customers.

Commercial blister production at the site will begin in June 2020.

Sharp has invested over $70M on its global facilities over recent years including:

• $21m on expanding capacity and capabilities at its Allentown and Conshohocken, PA facilities
• $11m on its new Clinical Services Centre of Excellence in Wales
• $11m on enhancing its injectable and cold chain capabilities in the US, Belgium and the Netherlands
• $23m on its refitted state-of-the-art clinical facility in Bethlehem, PA.
• $13m on the redevelopment of Sharp Heerenveen, The Netherlands

About Sharp
Sharp, part of UDG healthcare, is a global leader in contract packaging and clinical services. Operating from eight state-of-the-art facilities across the US and Europe, Sharp has built an international reputation for delivering cost-effective blister packaging, bottling, secondary assembly and labelling of injectable presentations, compliance packaging, formulation and manufacturing services, label design and printing. We are also a world leader in ’Track and Trace’ and serialization services, with over eleven years’ experience in implementing serialized solutions for our pharma clients.