Vetter Adds Lyo Capacity

Vetter has installed three additional state-of-the-art lyophilizers at the company’s Ravensburg Vetter South facility, nearly doubling its number of freeze-dryers. Altogether, the site will be able to produce as many as 24 million lyophilized units annually. The new equipment increases the number of lyophilizers across all Vetter facilities by 30%. The company made the investment to meet anticipated future demand for aseptically filled biologics and other sensitive compounds, which often require lyophilization to prolong shelf life and potency.

In the last three years, more than 30% of all novel drugs approved in the U.S. were lyophilized, according to the FDA, and will likely continue to grow. “Like our customers, we anticipate substantial growth in the demand for lyophilized compounds,” says Peter Soelkner, managing director at Vetter. “They have become pivotal components of the portfolio and strategy of many pharmaceutical and biotech companies, which are continuously developing new drugs in this segment. In turn, as a strategic partner to our clients, we continuously invest in the infrastructure and equipment needed to support their needs in commercial manufacturing.”

Vetter introduced lyophilization services in 1981.