Exclusive Interview: Michigan CDMO Scales Up to Meet U.S. Demand
Scaling Up to Meet U.S. Demand
Exclusive interview with Fierce Pharma discussing our new, large-scale fill-finish facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
With calls for American-made drugs on the rise, a Michigan CDMO is scaling up to meet demand
“Onshore” manufacturing has become a bit of a buzzword term in the age of COVID-19 as lawmakers push for a stable drug supply chain on U.S. soil. But for small CDMO Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM), that made-in-America ethos is stamped in its DNA, and a brand-new finish-fill plant could help it target even more U.S. drugmakers.
Michigan-based GRAM completed a $60 million expansion to install a “large-scale” fill-finish injectables facility that it will market primarily to U.S drugmakers, the company said Tuesday.
The new 60,000-square-foot facility in downtown Grand Rapids will triple GRAM’s manufacturing footprint to more than 100,000 square feet of production space and help level up the company’s sterile injectables offerings, according to a release. The newest fill-finish plant is GRAM’s third, the company said, and its fifth manufacturing facility overall.
In its 10th year in business, GRAM has been able to afford its rapid scale-up through strong growth and its reputation as a high-quality manufacturing partner in the heart of the Midwest, CEO Tom Ross told Fierce Pharma.
GRAM plans to market its new manufacturing space to a stable of existing customers as well as drugmakers looking to “onshore” their manufacturing back on U.S. soil. That strategic direction stems from GRAM’s unique position as an American-made company but also a response to a growing need for domestic contract manufacturers.
“The ability to grow off the same base and focus the culture around quality and service is critical,” Ross said. “The opportunity is there for us to continue to meet that demand.”