Unither Pharmaceuticals invests in its French R&D site to accelerate innovation in Ophthalmology

PARIS - April 28, 2025 - PRLog -- Unither Développement Bordeaux (UDB), the R&D center of Unither Pharmaceuticals, is enhancing its capabilities with the installation of a new sterile isolator to support the growth of its clients' ophthalmic development programs. This investment is part of the group's broader strategy to consolidate its global leadership in sterile ophthalmic dosage forms.

A sterile isolator to accelerate and secure ophthalmic projects

The new isolator provides a GMP-compliant environment designed for multi-dose ophthalmic products, with or without preservatives. It will enable the production of preclinical and clinical batches, as well as small-scale commercial lots, under optimal sterile conditions.

A site enhanced to drive innovation

Several strategic upgrades have recently been completed at the UDB site:

• 200 m² of additional space dedicated to formulation activities
• A new 50 m² sterile GMP pilot area
• Strengthened regulatory and analytical expertise

The site is also eligible for France's Research Tax Credit (Crédit d'Impôt Recherche – CIR), allowing companies to recover up to 30% of their R&D expenses — a major incentive for growing start-ups and biotechs.

A strengthened strategic axis at group level

This investment further strengthens Unither's ophthalmology R&D offering. At UDB, projects can begin in PFMD format, with batch sizes of up to 10L for early preclinical and clinical phases. Industrial scale-up is managed by the Coutances (Normandy) site, equipped with a PFMD isolator line capable of producing batches up to 80L (Phases I to III). This structure ensures seamless project continuity from development to manufacturing while maintaining cost efficiency.

In addition, Unither leverages synergies with its Rochester site (ROC, USA), which specializes in Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) technology, to support projects aimed at the North American market.

A vision backed by experienced leadership

Ophthalmology is a central pillar of Unither's long-term growth strategy, built on close partnerships with universities, research centers, and biotech companies.

"This investment fully supports our ambition to make Unither a key partner in ophthalmology. By combining the expertise of our R&D and manufacturing sites, we are building an integrated value chain capable of supporting our clients from innovation to market. UDB plays a pivotal role in this process, upstream of industrial operations."
— Nathalie MASSON, Director of Innovation & Development, Unither Pharmaceuticals

https://www.unither-pharma.com/ (https://www.unither-pharma.com/unither-pharmaceuticals-in...)