As the CDMO market continues to consolidate and more manufacturing moves offshore, UPM Pharmaceuticals offers a different option. The company is an independent, family-owned CDMO that has supplied major pharmaceutical companies for decades. Operating from a single facility in Bristol, Tennessee, UPM has supported the development and commercial launch of more than 80 products, giving it a level of commercial experience that is uncommon among mid-sized CDMOs.
For biotech and pharmaceutical companies looking for both proven manufacturing capabilities and a collaborative working relationship, UPM Pharmaceuticals is a strong option to consider.
Experience that compounds
UPM Pharmaceuticals has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 25 years. That long-term ownership has provided continuity in leadership, experienced teams, and consistent support for products through the later stages of development and into commercial manufacturing. The company has built its reputation by helping clients manage the demands of commercial production, where manufacturing, quality, and regulatory requirements become more complex.
Rather than offering every type of development and manufacturing service, UPM has focused on a defined set of capabilities. Its expertise is centered on oral solid and semi-solid dosage forms, with particular experience in potent compounds, hormones, and controlled substances. This focused approach has allowed the company to build deep technical and operational experience in the areas it serves.
Core capabilities: oral solids and semi-solids, end to end
As a full-service CDMO, UPM supports products across their lifecycle — from drug formulation and analytical development through technology transfer, scale-up, and commercial production, all under one roof. The core dosage focus is twofold:
- Oral solid dose — tablets and capsules, including coated tablets and sustained-release formulations, backed by annual capacity of roughly 3.5 billion tablets and 680 million capsules.
- Semi-solids — creams and ointments, with capacity reaching approximately 1,300 metric tons per year.
Supporting services span formulation and analytical development, method development and validation, stability studies, quality and regulatory support, microbiological testing, and full packaging, serialization, aggregation, and warehousing. For clients, the practical benefit is fewer vendor handoffs and a single point of accountability from development through distribution.
Specialized handling where it counts
Where UPM differentiates most sharply is in complex handling — the work that many CDMOs are not equipped or licensed to take on:
- High-potent compounds, with dedicated containment
- Hormone-based formulations
- DEA-licensed controlled substances, spanning Schedule II–V, supported by dedicated vault infrastructure
This combination of potent, hormonal, and controlled-substance capability, paired with commercial-scale output, is uncommon in a single domestic facility — and it is precisely the kind of specialized transfer that is difficult to source.
A facility built for commercial scale
UPM's Bristol, Tennessee campus is engineered for late-stage and commercial work:
- 475,000 sq ft cGMP, FDA-registered manufacturing facility
- 250,000 sq ft of warehousing
- 15,800 sq ft of DEA-approved vault space
- A 7-acre development-through-commercial campus
The site is registered with the FDA and operates under cGMP, with programs aligned to ICH guidelines and DEA licensure for controlled-substance work.
Why domestic depth matters now
As more pharmaceutical companies look to strengthen their US supply chains, working with a domestic CDMO can offer practical advantages. These include closer alignment with FDA requirements, shorter supply chains, and more responsive manufacturing support. For companies that value supply-chain resilience, a US-based partner with commercial manufacturing experience can provide greater control over manufacturing and supply.
UPM Pharmaceuticals also offers a different way of working. As a family-owned company, clients have direct access to senior leadership throughout a project, allowing decisions to be made quickly and communication to remain straightforward. This approach, combined with the company's commercial manufacturing experience, provides the capabilities of an established CDMO while maintaining the responsiveness and flexibility of a smaller organization.
The bottom line
UPM Pharmaceuticals is well suited for programs that need an experienced U.S.-based partner to support complex commercial manufacturing. The company has particular expertise in oral solid and semi-solid products, including those containing potent compounds, hormones, and controlled substances. Its pharmaceutical industry experience, specialized manufacturing capabilities, and direct, hands-on approach set it apart from many other CDMOs.
Explore UPM Pharmaceuticals' full capabilities and connect directly on CDMO Hub.