The Asker site, which has approximately 170 employees and a high degree of production automation, has operated for more than 50 years, producing a broad portfolio of strengths and flavours of calcium/vitamin D3 chewable tablets.

Asker site will be NextPharma's centre of excellence for the development and manufacturing of chewable tablet forms, adding to NextPharma's existing site portfolio of centres of excellence, each specialising in different technologies and product types. With its unique capabilities and deep employee expertise, the site is well-positioned to attract new customers with both product development and commercial manufacturing business.

Peter Burema, CEO of NextPharma, comments: "We are excited by the addition of a world-class manufacturing site and a new centre of excellence for chewable tablets to our operational network, allowing us to further broaden our technology offering for both existing and new customers. These technologies, combined with the know-how and expertise of the site's employees, will continue to benefit patients across the world. On behalf of NextPharma, I welcome our new colleagues, and I am confident that together we will continue to further develop and grow NextPharma as a leading and well-respected European CDMO."

NextPharma is a CDMO with a footprint spanning five sites in Germany, two in France, one in Finland, Norway and Scotland, and with healthcare logistics services in the DACH region. NextPharma supplies products globally, with nine of its ten sites FDA-approved. With expertise in solids, semi solids and non-sterile and sterile liquids, the company provides services from pharmaceutical development, clinical supplies, scaleup and process validation through to commercial manufacturing for a large range of dosage forms including tablets, capsules, granules, powders, pellets, gels, creams, liquid-filled capsules, softgels, sprays and syrups.

Additionally, it provides a wide range of packaging solutions including blow-fill-seal, blisters, bottles, sachets, stick packs and tubes. NextPharma's expertise and centres of excellence enable it to provide a unique service offering in certain specialised areas including hormonal solids and semi-solids, cephalosporins, penicillins, narcotics, chewable tablets, modified release products, lipid-based formulations (including hormonal and high potent products), as well as paediatric medicinal products.