United Therapeutics is Honored with an ISPE FOYA Award for Social Impact
- DDOMAL is a statement building that illustrates UT’s commitment to think outside of the box and try radical new approaches to R&D for long-term positive social impact -
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, April 8, 2020 – IPS-Integrated Project Services, LLC, a leading provider of engineering, procurement, construction management, and validation (EPCMV) services, congratulates United Therapeutics Corporation for receiving a Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) for Social Impact from The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). IPS is honored to have provided InceptioneeringTM, design, and engineering services for United Therapeutics’ Dinutuximab-Dedicated Oncology Medical & Analytical Laboratory (“DDOMAL”) facility in Silver Spring, MD, USA.
The new facility will be utilized to manufacture Unituxin® (dinutuximab), an FDA-approved monoclonal antibody that treats pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.
Creating a long-standing positive impact on the local community was a key driver in this project, along with a focus on outstanding project execution. There was a phenomenal commitment from all team members to create ground-breaking new solutions and innovative design to overcome the unusual challenges that came with the design and construction of the facility. These challenges included an urban site location and footprint with no space for laydown to stage materials and perform construction activities, quickly passing zoning legislation to amend local government ordinances to allow for floor area housing utility equipment to be exempt from total gross square footage calculations, building and maintaining community relationships, coordinating with other local projects, and the atypical cylindrical shape of the facility design.
The judging team was “especially impressed by the sheer number of challenges this project had to overcome, while never losing focus on why they were doing this work. The project also took the time to consider the impacts to the community both during and after construction.”
Utilizing a partnered design/build approach, lean construction practices, and pull planning methods were employed to maintain a fully integrated project schedule. Whiting-Turner acted as the construction manager, Ewing Cole designed the structure, exterior and core, and IPS performed the facility programming and designed the CGMP space, infrastructure, and processes. This project illustrates how a unified team can accomplish the improbable and build a unique and innovative facility that helps our most vulnerable.
“We are so thankful to have been involved in the DDOMAL project,” said Tom J. Piombino, Vice President/Process Architect for IPS. “We were given a chance to help kids with cancer, to think completely outside the box (literally), and to collaborate with a great team of people in delivering something profound.”
About IPS
IPS is a global leader in developing innovative business solutions for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Through operational expertise and industry-leading knowledge, skill and passion, IPS provides consulting, architecture, engineering, construction management, and compliance services that allow clients to create and manufacture life-impacting products around the world. Headquartered in Blue Bell, PA-USA, IPS is one of the fastest-growing companies servicing the life sciences industry with nearly 1,400 professionals in the US, Canada, Brazil, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, China, and India.
About the ISPE Facility of the Year Awards Program
Established in 2004, the Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) recognize state-of-the-art projects utilizing new, innovative technologies to improve the quality of products, reduce the cost of producing high-quality medicines, and demonstrate advances in project delivery. The FOYA program provides a platform for the pharmaceutical science and manufacturing industry to showcase its accomplishments in facility design, construction, and operation, while sharing the development of new applications of technology and cutting-edge approaches. Visit ISPE.org/FOYA for more information.
About ISPE
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) is the world’s largest not-for-profit association serving its members through leading scientific, technical, and regulatory advancement across the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle. The 18,500 members of ISPE are building solutions in the development and manufacture of safe, effective pharmaceutical and biologic medicines, and medical delivery devices in more than 90 countries around the world. Founded in 1980, ISPE has its worldwide headquarters and training center in North Bethesda, Maryland USA, and its operations center in Tampa, Florida USA. Visit ISPE.org for more information.
