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The CDMO’s latest investment will boost capacity at its Charles City, IA facility by 40%, underscoring Cambrex’s focus on reshoring drug manufacturing, advancing peptide and small molecule production, and supporting the long-term stability of the US pharma supply chain.
Amid an era of tariffs, Cambrex, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that offers drug substance, drug product, and analytical services across the entire drug lifecycle, is financially committing $120 million to grow its US ops, particularly to address the demand for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development and production services.1
The latest investment will provide a 40% boost to the CDMO’s Charles City, IA site’s manufacturing capacity, which is currently close to reaching nearly one million liters. This plant produces various APIs and pharmaceutical intermediates, which feature controlled substances, along with highly potent molecules.
"Our customers, in partnership with federal and state agencies, are reshoring drug manufacturing in the US, the world's largest pharmaceutical market,” said Thomas Loewald, CEO of Cambrex. “Local API production is vital for supply chain security and resilience, and Cambrex will play a key role. We are seeing very strong demand from our customers to partner with Cambrex to utilize this expanded capacity.
"With rising demand for US-based supply chains for critical therapies, Cambrex is focused on supporting the long-term stability of pharmaceutical manufacturing in the United States. The investment in our Charles City facility, the nation's largest independent API manufacturing site, reflects our commitment to meeting clients' evolving needs for small molecule and peptide manufacturing."
The announcement builds on the momentum garnered by previous investments surrounding Cambrex's drug development and manufacturing services, including the completion of its $38 million capacity expansion at its small molecule API manufacturing facility in High Point, NC back in October 2023.2 The expansion doubled the facility's manufacturing capacity, with new state-of-the-art analytical and chemical development laboratories, two new clinical manufacturing suites, and a small-scale commercial manufacturing operation with three work centers and 2,000-liter reactors.
The High Point capabilities complement those of previously acquired Snapdragon Chemistry, which specializes in R&D for API batch, and continuous flow process development. The combination of Snapdragon Chemistry and the expansion in High Point allows clients to utilize one vendor for flow chemistry scale-up from R&D through commercialization.
"When we began this project in 2021, our vision extended far beyond capacity," added Tom Loewald in a separate announcement. "We designed a facility that can continue to deliver on client needs as the industry evolves, with state-of-the-art technology and laboratory equipment, an energy-efficient infrastructure, and clinical to commercial manufacturing scale."
Last year, the company reported that it had almost completed a $100 million investment strategy, which the CDMO had originally calculated would be completed in five years. In a turn of events, an updated forecast showed it being completed a year early in 2024.3
The company has added more than 150,000-square-feet of manufacturing space as part of the plan, and expects to have expanded its space and capabilities at 70% of its sites in Europe and North America. These expansions will improve aspects across clinical and commercial drug development.
Meanwhile, here in 2025, Cambrex unveiled its peptide therapeutics capabilities with the launch of new services and GMP manufacturing capacity at its Waltham, MA facility.4 The addition boosts the site’s overall footprint by 20%, with an ISO-7 cleanroom for preparative HPLC chromatography and lyophilization, along with cold storage and product storage suites.
References
1. Cambrex Unveils $120 Million Investment to Expand API Manufacturing and Strengthen U.S. Drug Supply Resilience. Cambrex. October 22, 2025. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://www.cambrex.com/news/cambrex-unveils-120-million-investment-to-expand-api-manufacturing-and-strengthen-u-s-drug-supply-resilience/
2. Saraceno N. Cambrex Completes $38 Million API Plant Expansion. Pharmaceutical Commerce. October 2, 2023. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/cambrex-completes-38-million-api-plant-expansion
3. Hollan M. Cambrex Completes $38 Million API Plant Expansion. Pharmaceutical Executive. March 20, 2024. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://www.pharmexec.com/view/cambrex-100-million-investment-strategy-earlier-planned
4. Cambrex Expands Peptide Manufacturing Capabilities in Waltham, Massachusetts. PR Newswire. August 25, 2025. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cambrex-expands-peptide-manufacturing-capabilities-in-waltham-massachusetts-302532321.html
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