Through a partnership with the nonprofit group, API Innovation Center, the University of Missouri–St. Louis (USML) has received a federal investment of more than $1 million to build the API Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub on its campus.
The hub will be equipped with advanced manufacturing technologies to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as well as finished drug products (FDPs). The intention is to strengthen the domestic supply chain of pharmaceuticals to reduce reliance on other countries, therefore lowering the risk of disruption that could lead to shortages.
The federal funding — which was specifically allocated through the National Institute of Standards and Technology research budget within the U.S. Department of Commerce — will help support upgrades to advanced analytical instrumentation essential for API research and process validation. It will also aid in acquisition and integration of continuous flow reactors and associated synthesis equipment, and it will enhance RF&D activities focused on efficient and scalable manufacturing processes.
The innovation hub will be manufacturing several generic APIs, including the oral drugs metoprolol (for cardiovascular conditions) and lorazepam (for anxiety disorders and seizures). Both are critical drugs that have suffered from supply chain issues in the recent past. Reshoring these medications will ensure patients have reliable access.