Esteve CDMO, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and pharmaceutical intermediates, is investing an additional $17.5 million to expand capacity and containment capabilities at its Morton Grove, Illinois, facility.

The new investment brings the total announced investment at the site to $33 million, including a $15.5 million expansion program announced earlier this year. The latest phase will add two 500-gallon reactors, enhanced containment capabilities in the site's early-stage development laboratories and upgrades to the warehouse.

The upgrades are intended to increase flexibility for early-stage development programs and expand manufacturing capacity as customer projects advance toward larger clinical and commercial requirements, according to the company.

Andrea Oro, managing director U.S. and global head of commercial operations and strategy at Esteve CDMO, said in a statement that the investment is part of the site’s development as the company’s U.S. center of excellence for early-stage development and manufacturing.

Esteve acquired Regis Technologies in August 2025, establishing its first U.S. manufacturing presence and adding small-molecule API development and cGMP manufacturing capabilities in the Chicago area.

The Morton Grove facility combines process research and development, analytical and stability testing, cGMP API manufacturing, and chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) support. The expanded capabilities are designed to enable customers to advance programs from early development to on-site manufacturing.

The investment follows Esteve’s broader expansion of its small-molecule manufacturing network. In March, the company announced plans to add spray-drying capacity at its Celrà, Girona, Spain, facility, including a new 3,000-square-meter production unit with high-potency containment suites. A PSD-2 spray dryer is expected to begin operating in the first quarter of 2027, followed by a PSD-3 unit later in the year.