UPM Pharmaceuticals, a Baltimore, Md.-based drug development and contract manufacturer, will acquire the 500,000-square-foot commercial manufacturing facility Pfizer currently operates in Bristol, Tenn.

The acquisition of the Pfizer facility will provide UPM with large-scale commercial capabilities for manufacturing and packaging of solid oral dosage tablets and capsules, as well as semi-solid manufacturing of creams and ointments. The facility will also provide comprehensive tech transfer support, pilot plant scale-up capabilities and analytical and microbial testing, as well as dedicated suites for potent compounds.  UPM will continue to manufacture Pfizer's current portfolio of products within the facility for two years. The acquisition will allow UPM to offer a full range of development, testing and manufacturing capabilities to existing and new clients.

"With the new facility, UPM will now be able to offer clients a seamless transition from early-stage formulation development to commercialization along with all associated comprehensive lab support,” said UPM president James E. Gregory. “The new facility will give UPM the capability to annually produce 3.5 billion tablets and 680 million capsules.”