Cambrex has broken ground on a $120 million expansion at its Charles City, Iowa facility. The project will add 160,000 liters of manufacturing capacity, increasing the site's total capacity by approximately 25% to nearly one million liters. The expansion supports development and commercial manufacturing of small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients and synthetic peptides, and is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2028.
The company celebrated the start of construction with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 29, bringing together company leaders, employees, state and local officials and members of the Charles City community. The milestone comes as the Charles City site celebrates its 100th anniversary, marking a century of operations at the facility.
The Charles City facility provides development and manufacturing services for small molecule APIs, synthetic peptides and pharmaceutical intermediates, supporting projects from clinical development through commercial-scale production. The expansion builds on the site's existing infrastructure and technical expertise while adding capacity to meet customer demand.
Claudio Russolo, Chief Operating Officer and incoming Chief Executive Officer of Cambrex, said the groundbreaking marks an important milestone in the company's continued investment in U.S. manufacturing and in the Charles City site. He said that by expanding commercial-scale capacity for both small molecule and peptide manufacturing, Cambrex is strengthening its ability to support customers as their programs advance from development through commercialization.