Sharp – a part of UDG Healthcare plc, a global leader in contract packaging and clinical supply services, has completed the first phase in the development of its new USD $23m state-of-the-art facility in Bethlehem, PA.

Sharp acquired the new Bethlehem facility for $14m in 2017 and has now completed a $2.5m relocation project, transferring the company’s clinical storage and distribution services from its Phoenixville site.

A second phase will see Sharp co-locate its fully integrated clinical services offering at the site when its packaging, manufacturing and analytical services move to the facility in late-2018, following a $6.4 million refit.

The Bethlehem development offers 1.5 million cubic feet of capacity on a 16-acre plot and will allow the company to increase pallet space for both cold and controlled-temperature storage by approximately 50%.

Frank Lis, president of Sharp Clinical Services, said: “The Bethlehem facility is a strategically important investment for Sharp. It will allow us to offer greater capacity, scalability and automation in response to growing demand for our services, as well as co-locating our clinical services at one facility.

“This facility allows us to simultaneously support multiple large-scale phase III studies through to commercial launch.”

Investing in the Bethlehem site has created 1.5 million cubic feet of new clinical services capacity in 2017 and is consistent with Sharp’s strategy of capacity expansion to support current clients and meet future demand.