SOCMA: Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates

Media Contact:
Eisbrenner Public Relations
Shelly Otenbaker
248-554-3510
sotenbaker@eisbrenner.com

Riverview, Mich., July 19, 2010 – Ash Stevens, Inc., is a contract pharmaceutical manufacturing company specializing in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for novel cancer drugs and other therapeutic agents in development. The company is presently undergoing a five-year, $20 million facility expansion project, which will increase production by 50-80 percent and add 60 jobs at the Riverview, Mich., location.

“For nearly 50 years we have been building a strong reputation to be a trusted partner in the life science industry – this expansion is possible thanks to our commitment to quality, delivery and client service as well as the forward-looking support of the local and state government,” said Dr. Stephen Munk, CEO, Ash Stevens. “We considered locations in other states that were closer to our customers, but we’ve always wanted to stay in Michigan and now we are committed to expanding our workforce and infrastructure in our home community and state.”

The first phase involves the construction of a 10,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art GMP storage and materials handling facility to accommodate the company’s current and projected increase in business. Other phases of construction include a new 2,250-gallon reactor bay with 500-gallon, 750-gallon and 1,000-gallon vessels for the large-scale manufacture of APIs. Ash Stevens also is consolidating its Detroit laboratories to a single site at the Riverview location within the next three to seven years.

“We’re happy to support and celebrate companies like Ash Stevens that are committed to growing and expanding in our community.” said Mayor Tim Durand, City of Riverview.

Ash Stevens, Inc.
Ash Stevens, Inc. (ASI) is a Contract Pharmaceutical Manufacturer founded in 1962. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, ASI has extensive experience with the development and scale-up of commercial APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) with strength in oncology products. Ash Stevens shares a longstanding and successful relationship with the National Cancer Institute. Recently, ASI has received Food and Drug Administration manufacturing approvals for several innovator drugs, including the APIs in Velcade®, Vidaza®, and Clolar®. all three Fast Track approvals. The company has an excellent global regulatory compliance history and has been inspected by Ministries of Health from Japan, Korea, Mexico, Australia, European Union and the United States. Ash Stevens is a preferred contractor for the development and cGMP manufacture of innovator small molecule APIs for oncology and other therapeutic indications. For more information, visit www.ashstevens.com.

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