October 13, 2026

WuXi AppTec Opens Commercial-Scale Spray Drying Manufacturing Platform at its Couvet Site in Switzerland

The investment provides WuXi AppTec’s clients with large-scale spray drying manufacturing capability, alongside the site's oral solid dose and packaging operations.

WuXi AppTec, a leading global pharmaceutical CRDMO (Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization), announces the opening of a new spray drying facility at its drug product manufacturing site in Couvet, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Dr. Jinling Chen, Senior Vice President, Head of Drug Product at WuXi AppTec, Dr. Rick Connell, President US & Europe, WuXi AppTec, Jamie Andrews, Site Head and General Manager, inaugurated the building with Sarah Fuchs-Rota, Présidente of the Commune de Val-de-Travers, and Florence Nater, State Councillor and Head of the Department of Economy and Social Cohesion for the Canton of Neuchâtel.

The facility houses a PSD-4 spray dryer for manufacturing amorphous solid dispersions, a formulation approach that increases the oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble compounds.

▲From left: Florence Nater, State Councillor for the Canton of Neuchâtel, Jamie Andrews, Site Head and General Manager of the Couvet site, and Sarah Fuchs-Rota, Présidente of the Commune de Val-de-Travers, cut the ribbon, joined by Dr. Rick Connell, Taylor Rauch, Dr. Jinling Chen and members of the Couvet project team

What the platform gives

Spray drying at Couvet sites alongside the downstream operations the site already runs, providing WuXi AppTec’s clients with access to amorphous solid dispersion technology and the finished dosage form under one quality system in one location. Drug products manufactured there can be released for the EU and EEA through WuXi AppTec's Qualified Person and batch release services in Munich, Germany, helping accelerate patient access to critical therapies.

Couvet's PSD-4 also complements the existing spray drying capability at WuXi AppTec’s China facilities, allowing spray drying processes to be run both in Europe and in China.

Dr. Jinling Chen said the capability addresses a constraint that affects a large share of molecules in development. “Nearly 80% of compounds in the drug discovery pipeline suffer from poor water solubility, limiting their potential as oral medicines. By providing spray-dried dispersion technology, our clients can unlock these compounds by transforming the crystalline drug into a stable amorphous solid dispersion, improving oral bioavailability. For patients, this can mean a dosage form that is easier to take. Oral medicines, such as tablets and capsules, can reduce the burden on patients facing lengthy trips to hospitals for injections, getting vital medicines to patients faster and easier”

Continuing investment in the Val-de-Travers region and customer needs

The spray drying facility continues a program of investment that began when WuXi AppTec acquired the Couvet site in 2021. Manufacturing capacity at the site has since doubled.

“This is far more than a ribbon-cutting. Couvet is a central pillar in our broader European growth strategy, and this investment reflects our deep commitment to the Val-de-Travers region and our role as a dedicated anchor of the pharmaceutical ecosystem here in Switzerland and across Europe,” said Dr. Rick Connell.

About the WuXi AppTec Couvet site

The site has manufactured oral solid dosage forms since 2018 and has been part of WuXi AppTec since it was acquired from Bristol Myers Squibb in 2021. It has been inspected by the U.S. FDA, Swissmedic, and Japan's PMDA, and supplies products worldwide, including to the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The facility incorporates geothermal energy recovery and on-site photovoltaic generation. It is part of a design that received the ISPE Facility of the Year Award for Sustainability in 2019. The site also holds ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications