To provide flexible and innovative solutions for early development challenges commonly faced by biotech and pharmaceutical companies, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is expanding its oral solid dose (OSD) footprint with a $22-million total investment since 2021 in its Cincinnati, Ohio, and Bend, Ore. sites in the US.

Together, these expansions will enable research and development (R&D), manufacturing and testing of OSD drug formulations – doubling the Bend site’s existing footprint and continuing a multi-year investment plan in Cincinnati – to bolster capabilities across the company’s global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO) and Contract Research Organisation (CRO) network.

To meet the increasing demand for small molecule OSD solutions, Cincinnati adds dedicated flexible R&D space, supporting pre-clinical early development of OSD formulations through rapid project initiation and the use of next-generation technologies for data-informed decision-making, which can solve for drug development challenges and help companies avoid costly trial-and-error cycles.

The Bend expansion is focused on R&D manufacturing and testing, including bench and pilot scale spray drying, hot-melt extrusion and dry granulation. These additions to the site bolster capabilities at the company’s centre of excellence for early development and advanced drug delivery, including solubility and bioavailability enhancement solutions and digital modeling. These capabilities address some of the largest challenges for pharma and biotech customers to help accelerate pre-clinical oral drug product development and reduce timelines to GMP production of clinical trial materials.