SAFC Pharma(TM) Commits to Major Expansion of High Potency API Production at Ma...( ST. LOUIS Sept. 4 /- SAFC Pharma(...),Health

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAFC Pharma(TM), a focus area within SAFC(R) (http://www.safcpharma.com), a member of the Sigma-Aldrich(R) Group (Nasdaq: SIAL), today officially announced details of a $30 million expansion plan to its Madison (Wisconsin) facility, designed to significantly increase its capacity to produce commercial scale High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (HPAPIs). The investment includes the purchase of 15 acres of green space in Verona (Wisconsin), near its existing HPAPI production site, where the company will build a new 45,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility that will house commercial scale reactors capable of producing HPAPI batch sizes up to 4,000 liters. Construction of the new plant is expected to be complete by year-end 2009.

The new facility's design will maximize efficiencies and safe handling in high potency development and adhere to Category IV standards, the highest guideline for HPAPI handling and containment. The site will seek Safebridge(R) certification upon its completion. The facility will include state-of-the-art development laboratories, a 150 liter mini-processing plant and two large- scale cGMP manufacturing suites with reactors up to 4,000 liters. Specially designed quality control laboratories, a potent compound packaging area and warehouse and office space, plus expansion space, will be featured in the building.

"Currently, there is minimal manufacturing capacity to support market demand for large-scale HPAPI production," said Dave Feldker, SAFC Pharma Vice President of Sales and Manufacturing, U.S. "We are committed to providing customers with the best possible HPAPI manufacturing services, and our new
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