PCI Pharma Services Acquires Ajinomoto Althea

• PCI Pharma Services is acquiring US-based sterile fill-finish CDMO Ajinomoto Althea, with completion expected in May 2025.

• The deal brings PCI its first North American site for prefilled syringes and enhances capabilities in ADCs, lyophilization, and oligonucleotide manufacturing.

PCI Pharma Services has announced its acquisition of Ajinomoto Althea, Inc., a US-based sterile fill-finish CDMO and subsidiary of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. The transaction, set to finalise in May 2025, marks a strategic move by PCI to enhance its global presence and capabilities in biologics and complex injectables.

The acquisition gives PCI its first North American manufacturing site for prefilled syringes and cartridges. The San Diego-based facility also includes isolator technology and high potent manufacturing capabilities suitable for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). These additions expand PCI’s CDMO offerings across a wide range of delivery systems and drug types.

Althea’s portfolio spans clinical- and commercial-stage injectables, with expertise in scalable production of oligonucleotides and peptides. This complements PCI’s established capacity in lyophilisation and contract manufacturing for biologics including mRNA, monoclonal antibodies, and nanoparticles.

Incorporating high potent vial filling with lyophilisation positions PCI among the few US-based CDMOs equipped to produce ADCs, an emerging treatment modality in oncology. The acquisition also bolsters PCI’s final device assembly and packaging operations in both Europe and North America.

“To continue supporting the needs of our customers in their endeavors to bring life-changing therapies to patients, PCI continues to make sizable investments in the sterile fill-finish category,” said Salim Haffar, CEO of PCI Pharma Services.