OFFICIALS at GSK, in Barnard Castle, have unveiled a new multi-million pound manufacturing facility which will secure the site’s future for years to come.
The drug giant says the new aseptic Q Block will strengthen the company’s global role in bringing forward new innovative medicines for a range of diseases into production.
The facility is described as fully-automated and paperless and represents an investment of more than £90 million.
Q Block has been undergoing testing since construction as completed in 2020 and is expected to start manufacturing medicines for commercial use early next year.
Site director Elizabeth Rowbotham said: “Barnard Castle is a key site for GSK, and at the heart of the future strategy for the company is delivering important existing and new medicines globally.
“The Q Block facility puts GSK and Barnard Castle at the forefront of medicines manufacture and I am delighted the site will play such an important role supporting the delivery of our innovative pipeline.
“This investment demonstrates GSK’s commitment to the local area and I look forward to continuing to build a skilled team of people from across a mix of disciplines.
“What we do together here makes a difference to patients every day and I am honoured to work alongside such a committed team.”
Some 1,000 people are employed by GSK at the Barnard Castle site and it supplies almost 500,000 packs of products each day to 140 global markets.
Products include medicines for HIV, respiratory conditions and auto-immune diseases.
Global supply chain president Regis Simard said: “I am delighted to join our teams in officially opening our smart manufacturing facility at our Barnard Castle site.
“This is a highly advanced technical achievement and by successfully applying digital technology we will be able to launch more transformational medicines at speed for patients, by developing a right first-time capability, whilst also reducing waste.”
He added: “This investment further demonstrates how we are building our capacity and capability in our supply chain to be even more ambitious for patients.
“Thank you to all who have worked tirelessly to design, construct and test this impressive new facility.”
