PCI Pharma adds new fill-finish machine at Melbourne site

Multinational contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) PCI Pharma Services has announced investments across its Melbourne and San Diego operations, with a new automated fill-finish machine at its Port Melbourne site.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company said it invested in a new Microcell Vial Filler machine made by Cytiva for Melbourne. Cytiva describes the filler as “a closed robotic isolator for pharmaceutical vial filling”, used for standardised or small-batch production.

According to PCI, the investment, alongside its current services, would speed up turnaround time “from proposal signing to the injectable product’s distribution” for clients.

“There are less barriers to entry to start a clinical trial in Australia, as well as significant cost benefits, and with Melbourne being an especially popular place to conduct phase I trials, we knew we needed to bring this capability and added capacity to the local market,” said Tim Roberts, Chief Commercial Officer, PCI Pharma Services.

The machine was suited to filling various sterile medications into vials and syringes for small-to-mid scale client needs, PCI said.

PCI has 30 good manufacturing practice (GMP) sites globally, and describes Australia as the world’s leading environment for Phase I clinical trials.

The investment at its San Diego site includes Microcell filler and SA25 Aseptic Filling Workcell, also made by Cytiva.

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