Ritedose expands cGMP lab space to support 2.6 billion-dose capacity

The Ritedose Corporation, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, said it is investing more than $17 million to expand its in-house cGMP laboratory capabilities. The project reportedly will add significant lab space and advanced analytical capabilities to support a growth capacity of 2.6 billion doses per year.

Phase I of the expansion will create a 10,000-square-foot analytical chemistry laboratory in Ritedose’s newly opened distribution and logistics facility at Ritedose Performance Park. Phase II will convert the company’s existing analytical chemistry lab into a 6,000-square-foot microbiology lab, the company said. Both phases are scheduled for completion in spring 2026.

The expanded labs will allow Ritedose to manage all laboratory functions in-house, strengthen method development, validation, stability studies and regulatory compliance, and provide analytical services including extractables and leachables, nitrosamine detection, elemental analysis, and drug product de-formulation, according to the announcement.

The expansion follows recent operational growth at Ritedose, including the addition of a seventh Syntegon packaging line at its Columbia facility. The new line reportedly doubled the company’s capacity for individually wrapped vial medications to support production of Verona Pharma’s inhaled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug Ohtuvayre.

Ritedose also increased its sterile Blow-Fill-Seal production capacity by 180 million units to support ophthalmic and respiratory therapies, the company said.