SGS Life Science Services, the leading bio/pharmaceutical analytical and bioanalytical contract solutions provider, today announced that its facility in Fairfield, NJ, has been upgraded to be Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) compliant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. This comes after significant investment in facilities and training of the staff in the laboratory to handle virulent organisms for the purposes of microbiological testing, chemical and raw material testing, and stability testing of pharmaceutical materials.

With the enhanced containment capabilities, the facility is now able to support the development programs of biotech and pharmaceutical companies involved in vaccines against pathogens such as Poliovirus, Rotavirus, Influenza A, and Hepatitis A, B and C, and drugs against bacteria which are increasingly becoming antibiotic resistant, such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), NDM-1 Escherichia coli and Clostridium difficile.

SGS has seen an increase in demand for services from bio/pharmaceutical development companies, medical device manufacturers, and also environmental monitoring companies interested in such pathogens covered by the CDC guidelines, such as Legionella and Burkholderia cepacia. The range of products SGS can now work with at the Fairfield laboratory include both animal and human-derived samples such as blood (including serum, antibodies, and phagocytes) and tissue.

"By including the BSL-2 guidelines into our biosafety plan at Fairfield, we now can offer both chemistry and microbiology related services to clients," commented Mark Rogers, Vice President Life Sciences, SGS North America. "The ability to handle pathogens across both disciplines under one facility is more convenient for our customers and allows us to offer a greater range of testing capabilities to both existing and new clients."

This upgrade and investment comes three years after the Fairfield facility underwent a large scale expansion, doubling its footprint to 30,000 square meters.

With 18 laboratories offering contract analytical and bioanalytical services, SGS leverages its wholly-owned global network, present in North America, Europe, and Asia, to deliver harmonized solutions to large pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. In addition to testing services for the bio/pharmaceutical market, SGS also provides clinical trial management (Phase I to IV) and services encompassing data management and statistics, PK/PD modelling and simulation, pharmacovigilance and regulatory consultancy.

For further information, please contact:

Ferdinand Dabu
Global Marketing Director
Life Science Services
SGS, 75 Passaic Avenue,
Fairfield, NJ 07004, USA
t: +1-973-287-1219
www.sgs.com/lifescience

Richard Kerns
President
NEPR
t: +44 (0)161 728 5880

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 80,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,650 offices and laboratories around the world.

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