Novasep announced that it will be investing EUR 30 million ($39 million) to build what will be the world’s largest chromatography plant for the production of large volumes of commercial APIs. The plant will be built on Novasep’s existing site in Mourenx, France, and is expected to be operational and validated within 18 months. According to the company’s press release, the new plant, designed by an in-house engineering team, will contain Varicol continuous chromatography systems with 1200-mm diameter columns operated at up to 70 bars. The plant will enable the production of a highly purified API from a complex mixture. In addition, the systems will integrate sophisticated solvent recovery systems for the recycling of 99.9% of solvents.

According to the press release, the chromatography plant is the third in a string of global investments by Novasep. The first was the opening of a 2000-m² facility in Shanghai, China and the second was a EUR three million ($3.9 million) investment to expand the highly potent API manufacturing capabilities at Novasep’s facility in Le Mans, France. “Demand for Novasep’s advanced, purification-based manufacturing capabilities in the life-science industries continues to increase as drugs in development and reaching the market become more complex and specific. This necessitates our third and largest global plant expansion in 2012,” said Patrick Glaser, president and CEO of Novasep, in the release.