Catalent and Stirling Ultracold announce partnership to establish energy-efficient cold chain capabilities for biologics and emerging modalities

Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, manufacturing, and clinical supply solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products, and Stirling Ultracold, the innovative developer and manufacturer of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers for life science and biopharma research, today announced a partnership whereby Stirling Ultracold becomes the preferred provider of ULT storage across Catalent’s multiple business units.

The growth of biopharmaceuticals and newer modalities within pharmaceutical research and development has driven the need for Catalent to invest in a sustainable and reliable cold chain infrastructure, to ensure the preservation of biological and other highly temperature-sensitive materials. The partnership with Stirling Ultracold has already seen the delivery and installation of over 200 state-of-the-art freezers, with a further 60 planned, into Catalent’s clinical supply services and cell and gene therapy sites in the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Accommodating a wide temperature range from minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 86 degrees Celsius, Stirling freezers use 100 percent natural refrigerants, and during a typical ten-year lifespan, they will produce around 30 percent of the carbon dioxide during operation compared with legacy ULT freezers.

“The growth of precision medicine makes an effective ultra-low temperature infrastructure a necessity for companies partnering with innovators,” said Dusty Tenney, Chief Executive Officer of Stirling Ultracold. “The infrastructure we have created with Catalent, which it is deploying across its network, will facilitate the safe storage and handling of novel treatments, including personalized medicines for rare diseases, many of which have the potential to be life-saving or life-changing for patients.”

“Catalent is focused on providing safe, reliable product supply, and has responded to the rapid growth in new therapeutic modalities such as cell and gene therapies with solutions and capacity to match the significant demand for these therapies,” commented Matt Blume, Vice President, Business Transformation for Catalent’s Clinical Supply Services. “Stirling Ultracold freezers provide the widest flexibility and best-in-class quality to support the needs of our business, and also offer superior environmental sustainability benefits, which align to Catalent’s published corporate responsibility goals and environmental impact targets.”