UDG Healthcare's Sharp division expanding on both sides of pond

UDG Healthcare division Sharp Packaging Services announced capacity expansion projects in the US and the UK on Monday, including the $14m purchase of a 146,000 square foot pharmaceutical packaging facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The FTSE 250 company said the acquisition was from Daiichi Sankyo, and included all equipment and employees.

It confirmed the facility is FDA approved and currently included four packaging equipment lines, cold and frozen storage, office space, warehousing and an analytical laboratory.

As part of the transaction, DSI would also become a commercial and clinical client, with Sharp providing packaging services for a number of their US-branded products and clinical trial activity.

This acquisition was expected to have an immaterial impact on FY17 profitability.

In the UK, Sharp announced a £9m investment in a new facility in Rhymney, South Wales for its clinical packaging business.

The initial phase of the expansion, which was expected to be completed by late 2018, would involve the acquisition and renovation of a 110,000 square foot facility within the site - more than triple the size of the company’s current UK facility.

An initial 75,000 square feet would be fitted out, with the board saying the site also benefitted from the potential for further “significant” capacity expansion.

“In line with our growth strategy, we are delighted to announce two exciting developments for the Sharp division,” said Sharp managing director Mike O'Hara.

“We continue to add further capacity and scalability to both our commercial and clinical packaging businesses in response to growing demand for our packaging services.”