Page 54 - Southern Delaware Tourism - 2019 Visitors Guide

DSPI Pharmaceuticals
id you know that SPI Pharma, located in Lewes, is the only facility in the world that extracts magnesium out of seawater for use in the manufacturing of
antacids and other products?
What makes this possible is a magnesium-producer deposit site in the Atlantic Plain of Delaware that is considered
to be of world-class significance. Seawater carrying this magnesium is pumped underground to the Lewes plant from Breakwater Harbor.
50th Anniversary
SPI Pharma is a leading supplier of solutions to pharmaceutical formulation companies worldwide. Previously, the Lewes location was known as Barcroft (the name of the magnesium- producer deposit site). Barcroft began its manufacturing
operations on Cape Henlopen Drive in 1969, meaning SPI Pharma is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Lewes this year. The company purchased the Lewes plant from Rohne-Poulenc Rorer in 1998.
For 75 years, the company has supplied the pharmaceutical industry with “highly engineered products and innovative solutions that improve the formulation and delivery of drug products” to meet patients’ needs. SPI Pharma makes finished drugs more effective by enhancing the way they work. Its technologies help companies get their products to market faster.
Household Brand Names
Today, SPI Pharma specializes in aluminum, magnesium and calcium products as well as pre-formulated solutions for the production of antacid suspensions and tablets. SPI Pharma
also makes vaccine adjuvants as well as other drug delivery systems. Many brand-name products, including Mylanta and Tums, are formulated using SPI Pharma’s raw product. Some of the raw material could be described as “toothpaste-like,” and is shipped out globally to other manufacturers who then make the finished products.
The chewable products made from SPI Pharma’s ingredients are considered to be highly functional and “create an excellent taste barrier and superior mouthfeel.” SPI Pharma’s products are the basis for high-quality finished pharmaceutical and nutritional products.
But what is also notable is that SPI Pharma’s 80 employees in Lewes have worked for the company an average of 25 years.The company’s plant runs 24 hours per day with four shifts. Safety and quality assurance are also benchmarks for SPI Pharma.
Delaware State News
“SPI Pharma is a great small manufacturing facility that has existed and remained relevant in Sussex County,” said Bill Pfaff, Director of the Development. “The plant provides 80 well-paying jobs and makes a quality product that is then shipped worldwide. We are pleased to wish them a great 50-year anniversary in 2019.”
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