Sigma-Aldrich Corporation’s custom manufacturing services business unit, SAFC Commercial, will expand two of its manufacturing facilities, one in St. Louis, Missouri and another in Madison, Wisconsin.

The company said, as a direct result of increasing customer demand, SAFC is investing in commercial-scale manufacturing capacity for its antibody drug conjugates in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expanding its high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing and storage at its Verona facility near Madison, Wisconsin.

"These strategic investments are the result of ongoing dialogue with customers. We are directly addressing their needs for supply chain continuity when sourcing the high-quality manufacturing materials, technologies and services that drive the performance of their end products," said Gilles Cottier, President of SAFC. "Bringing commercial-scale ADC capacity to St. Louis and augmenting the offer at Verona to feature expanded HPAPI manufacturing and storage capabilities are direct reflections of SAFC's commitment to investing in support of our customers."

The ADC expansion at the St. Louis site is expected to be completed by mid-2015. The updated facility will feature segregated areas for high-potent solids handling, manufacturing and aseptic bulk filling of product. Additional commercial-scale manufacturing capacity has also been designed to seamlessly accommodate future growth in demand for ADC production.

"Once complete, the St. Louis expansion will enable continuous scale-up of ADCs from preclinical to clinical phases and into commercial-scale production," said Head of Global Strategic Marketing for Contract Manufacturing Services and Solutions at SAFC Andreas Weiler. "ADC technologies have shown exceptional promise in targeted therapies for chronic diseases, such as cancer, so strategic investments in this facility made sense to support our customers through all phases of ADC innovation."

"The investments at the St. Louis and Verona sites are complementary and allow SAFC to offer continuity for customers' drug development and commercialization programs," said Dave Bormett, Director of Operations for SAFC. "Verona's HPAPI handling and containment standards enable the site to manufacture the high-potency toxins and linkers that the St. Louis site uses to conjugate biological molecules and develop ADCs. It is all a part of our drive to provide customers with complete solutions based on our expertise in niche technologies."