
Piramal Pharma Solutions broke ground last week at its Lexington, Kentucky facility as part of the company’s first phase of expansion into US domestic manufacturing of sterile injectables. The event followed a public statement the company made last month announcing a $90 million investment to bolster its US footprint in both Kentucky and at its facility in Riverview, Michigan.
Construction is underway at both the Michigan and Kentucky sites. Piramal told BioProcess Insider that the Riverview facility is expected to be completed in late October. Meanwhile, the firm will complete expansion on the Kentucky site by late 2027, more than doubling its manufacturing capacity from 104 batches per year to more than 240.
Piramal is particularly focused on antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), producing them through their ADCelerate production line.
A representative of Piramal told BioProcess Insider that the company chose to invest in the Lexington site “to add commercial scale capacity” as well as clinical scale manufacturing. We were told the Riverview facility is “a natural fit” due to new suite space from a previous expansion.
The expansions to the Lexington and Riverview facilities boast an additional 24,000 square feet, including additions such as a laboratory and a commercial-scale suite designed to produce sterile injectables and stabilizing compounds for ADCs.
Piramal Pharma chairperson Nandini Piramal stated at the Kentucky groundbreaking ceremony that “the sterile injectables market is projected to exceed $20 billion by 2028, underscoring the urgent need for us to enhance our offerings in this segment.”
Regarding the company’s focus on ADC production, Peter DeYoung, CEO of Piramal Global, added “ADCs are rapidly emerging as one of the most effective classes of precision immunotherapy targeting certain cancers and tumors.” He added, “By investing in the Lexington and Riverview facilities, we will enhance our integrated ADC offering.”
Piramal Pharma Solutions is a global CDMO originally established in India to support pharmaceutical manufacturing for all stages of development. Last year, Piramal hit a significant milestone when its revenue from innovator pharmaceutical clients surpassed those in the generic market, supporting companies in preclinical development and early trial phases.
Piramal is not the only company that is currently strengthening investments in US production lines. Several large corporations, including Hikma Pharmaceuticals, the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Veranova, and biopharmaceutical company UCB have all announced plans in the past month to strengthen their domestic manufacturing of medicines and sterile injectables.
The sudden push to US production is fueled by the Trump administration’s focus on strengthening US drug supply lines and reducing reliance on foreign import of key prescription medications. In a subcommittee Congress hearing on June 11, Buddy Carter (GA-01), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health stated that “we are bringing manufacturing back to America," and that “this is just the start” of a growing trend in supporting domestic production of pharmaceuticals.
When we asked if Piramal is seeking to expand to other sites both within and outside the US, the representative responded “Piramal is always looking to expand to match market demand. More will follow; stay tuned for future announcements.”
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