Cambrex Starts $120 Million Charles City Expansion Adding 160,000 Liters

Cambrex broke ground on a $120 million expansion at its Charles City, Iowa facility on October 29, 2026, adding 160,000 liters of manufacturing capacity. PR Newswire APAC said the project raises the site's total capacity by approximately 25% to nearly one million liters, with completion anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2028.

Cambrex Adds Peptide and API Capacity in Charles City

The expansion supports development and commercial manufacturing of small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients and synthetic peptides. Cambrex marked the start of construction with a ceremony on October 29 that brought together company leaders, employees, state and local officials and members of the Charles City community. The milestone comes as the Charles City site celebrates its 100th anniversary.

"This groundbreaking marks an important milestone in our continued investment in U.S. manufacturing and in the Charles City site," said Claudio Russolo, Chief Operating Officer and incoming Chief Executive Officer of Cambrex. "By expanding commercial-scale capacity for both small molecule and peptide manufacturing, we are strengthening our ability to support customers as their programs advance from development through commercialization."

The Charles City facility provides development and manufacturing services for small molecule APIs, synthetic peptides and pharmaceutical intermediates, from clinical development through commercial-scale production. Cambrex describes itself as a global contract development and manufacturing organization providing drug substance development and manufacturing across the drug lifecycle, with more than 45 years of experience and a team of 2,000 experts serving clients from North America and Europe.

Cambrex's Manufacturing and Sustainability Record

According to akta.pro company records, Cambrex produces over 90 generic APIs, intermediates, derivatives and chiral compounds, including controlled substances. The same records list a 2026 partnership with NewAmsterdam Pharma on a sustainable organocatalytic process for obicetrapib that achieved an 80% reduction in process mass intensity, a 70% cut in cycle time and a 50% reduction in manufacturing cost. The companies received the 2026 American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Challenge Award for that work.

Earlier Cambrex Capacity and Site Moves

In August 2026, Cambrex reported completing three Pre-Approval Inspections at its High Point, North Carolina facility, conducted by the U.S. FDA, Japan's PMDA and Australia's TGA, clearing it to manufacture approved active pharmaceutical ingredients for those markets, PR Newswire APAC said. That month NJBIZ reported Cambrex announced construction of a new $30 million R&D facility at its existing site in Milan, Italy, to add advanced analytical and process development capabilities. Startseite reported the Milan facility is expected to be completed in the second half of 2027, as the site marks its 80th anniversary.

Charles City Completion Target

Cambrex anticipates completing the Charles City expansion in the fourth quarter of 2028.