West Pharma sets up new R&D center, sees Israel as regional hub

New office of US maker of injectable drugs and healthcare products has almost 100 workers now in central city of Raanana

By Urvashi Verma 26 February 2018, 5:53 pm

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Eric Resnick, VP & Chief Technology Officer, Innovation & Technology and Jacob Weiser, VP and General Manager, Israel cut the ribbon at West’s new facility in Ra’anana, Israel (Courtesy)

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., an Exton, Pennsylvania-based US manufacturer of packaging components and materials for injectable drugs and other healthcare products, relocated its existing Israeli offices last week, combining its former product development and administrative facilities from Raanana and Or Yehuda into one Raanana location.

West acquired Israel-based Medimop Medical Projects in 2005, which has grown into a regional office with nearly 100 employees.

The 2,750 square meters of open space and offices serve as a regional technology center for the company’s drug delivery products and as an administrative hub for engineering, operations, order fulfillment, and regulatory filings, the company said in a statement.

The company’s Israeli team created a SmartDose drug delivery platform that got approval by US Food and Drug Administration last year. The product is a wearable device that allows patients to self-administer precise doses of medications by attaching it to their abdomens. The data collected is then transmitted to the smartphones of the users, so they can be reviewed by healthcare professionals.

The US firm reported a full year of net sales of nearly $1.6 billion — year-on year growth of 5.2 percent — and forecast net sales to grow 6 to 8 percent to more than $1.7 billion in 2018, on its earnings call earlier this month.