Manufacturing Daily Summary
Manufacturing Daily Summary: What Happened on November 9, 2026
Simtra adds sterile injectable capacity in Indiana
An industry group also urged U.S. drug-supply planners to focus on key starting materials and consider continuous-flow production.
Today in brief
Simtra is expanding its Bloomington, Indiana, campus for syringe, vial, freeze-drying and high-potency filling.1 Plans for the new building include two high-speed syringe lines, a vial line and three freeze-dryers.1
Brian Doty of the API Innovation Center urged U.S. drug-supply efforts to prioritize key starting materials, the inputs used to make active pharmaceutical ingredients.2 He said continuous-flow chemistry could make domestic production more practical and fit into existing facilities.2
Simtra expands Bloomington sterile injectable operations
Simtra is adding a building at its Bloomington campus for syringe, vial and lyophilization work.1 The company also bought an adjacent 300,000-square-foot building for its first high-potency filling line in Bloomington.1
Simtra plans three freeze-dryers to serve two high-speed syringe lines and a vial line in the new building.1 Bo Watkins said customer demand and perceived gaps in the U.S. sterile injectable market are driving the additions.1 Watkins said the high-potency operation will draw on manufacturing experience built up over 65 years at Simtra’s Halle site.1
APIIC urges focus on starting materials in drug-supply plans
Brian Doty of the API Innovation Center said U.S. sourcing efforts should focus on key starting materials, which are used to make active pharmaceutical ingredients.2 A study described in Senate testimony found that China was the sole source for 47% of the key starting materials examined for 40 essential medicines often in shortage, where data were available.2
Doty said foreign suppliers provide the active ingredients used in 83 of the 100 most-prescribed U.S. generic drugs.2 He said continuous-flow chemistry runs reaction steps in sequence and can produce materials faster than conventional batch processes while using less space.2 Doty said the smaller footprint could let manufacturers install the process in existing facilities rather than build new plants.2 He said generic-drug makers need a financial reason to adopt new processes because their margins are narrow.2
Also published
- Supply continuity in clinical trials: Why certification alone is not enough Clinical Trials Arena
- Formulation Development Roundup GEN
- How can we build trust in model-driven manufacturing? PharmaVoice