Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has opened a state-of-the-art packaging and distribution facility in Ahmedabad to better serve pharmaceutical customer growth in India and their increasing need for clinical trial support focused on local products for India’s market.

The state-of-the art facility in the domestic tariff area (DTA) is part of Thermo Fisher’s clinical trials business and was built to help address the growing demand for development supply chain services and the need for high quality primary and secondary packaging solutions. The facility is spread across 26,700 square feet and equipped with advanced systems to manage all aspects of product control, product flow and quality assurance. The new capabilities also include blistering, bottle filling, capsule filling, over encapsulation, walleting, blinding solutions for biologics in several delivery modes such as prefilled syringes, and vials.  In addition, the facility will cater to regulatory-compliant labelling solutions including JIT labeling, single panel, multi-panel and booklet labels, and capabilities in distribution and logistics management at several controlled temperatures such as ambient, 2 – 8 degree Celsius and frozen conditions.

With proficiency in comparator sourcing, clinical ancillary, distribution and logistics management, including returns and destruction of highly regulated pharmaceuticals samples to patients participating in clinical trials, Thermo Fisher’s clinical trial business is a leading single source solution provider. 

“Our customers are looking to outsource their clinical trials management to partners who are well equipped to operate within the changing global and regional clinical trials regulations. With the added capacity available to us with this new facility, we can bring a higher level of technology, quality and expertise to facilitate clinical trials that serve the needs of both multi-national and local pharmaceutical companies in the country,” said Amit Chopra, managing director, India and Middle East, Thermo Fisher Scientific.

"This opening represents our commitment to making continuous investments in our sites to ensure we can offer the most innovative and state-of-the-art services in the clinical trial space,” said Leon Wyszkowski, president, Clinical Trials, Thermo Fisher. “This new facility will help us meet the unique needs of local innovators and enable them to bring impactful therapies to market.”

With many major pharmaceutical companies setting up their base in India, the clinical trials industry is witnessing considerable growth and India has the potential to become one of the largest clinical trial hubs with an expected market growth of CAGR 12 percent.

This announcement follows the recent news of an agreement to acquire and API manufacturing facility in Cork, Ireland, from GlaxoSmithKline, and the completion acquisition of Brammer Bio, a leader in viral vector manufacturing for gene and cell therapies. Thermo Fisher is also investing $150 million to expand its sterile fill sites in Monza and Ferentino, Italy, and Greenville, North Carolina and plans to complete the previously announced $50 million expansion of its St. Louis, Missouri, biologics facility later this year.