Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

There is nothing more exciting than being a part of an industry that improves people’s lives. Over the last 50 years, there have been astonishing advances in both therapies and patient care, and the pace will only accelerate. For pharmaceutical companies, the biggest challenge is adapting to change.”

Michael Connor,
Senior Vice President, WSP USA

We assist pharmaceutical clients to seize new opportunities, respond to rapid change and remain competitive in a market that is constantly evolving

This vital sector has never experienced a more challenging time. Pharmaceutical companies must accelerate R&D and upscale production in order to meet urgent demand for new vaccines, develop treatments for an ageing global population and deliver on the promise of personalized medicine, all while transforming their operations for a digital world.

From drug discovery to commercial scale

WSP provides interdisciplinary services to pharmaceutical clients that encompass consultancy, design, engineering, project and construction management, commissioning and validation, as well as environmental impact assessment and mitigation. Our teams are experts in process engineering, and in delivering facilities to support every stage of the leap from cutting-edge science to full-scale commercial manufacture.

Flexible, compliant solutions

We are proud to work with many multinationals, as well as renowned research institutes, and we embrace collaboration with clients and project partners to find tailored, flexible, compliant solutions. Many of us joined WSP from the pharmaceutical sector, so we have first-hand knowledge not only of its complexities but the vital importance of meeting rigorous quality standards and getting new products to those in need as safely and as quickly as possible.

Local solutions backed by global expertise

With a global pharmaceutical network spanning 17 time zones, we can provide guidance on local regulations and context wherever you are, backed by deep technical knowledge and international best practice. Where necessary, we can also draw on a diverse range of complementary specialisms from related sectors – for example, laboratory planning, working with healthcare clients to anticipate future trends, or supporting industry clients to minimize the environmental impact of their operations and achieve the transition to net zero.

WSP Smart - Pharmaceuticals 4.0 - Digital Solutions

Digitalization, an important component of Pharma 4.0™ will connect everything. WSP offers a full suite of digital transformation solutions. From data analytics to cybersecurity, WSP Smart™ Solutions delivers services to enable technology adoption to improve operations, safety and enhance the ability to reduce unplanned interruptions in operation.

Featured Projects

From research and development to commercial realization and full-scale manufacture, we provide integrated multidisciplinary engineering that encompasses consultancy, design, engineering, project and construction management, and commissioning and validation services. Our rigorous yet flexible approach has earned the trust of diversified and non-diversified multinationals as well as renowned research facilities and institutes.

Gothenburg, Sweden

AstraZeneca Lab4Life

Flexible labs to transform the way that biomedical specialists work

Osong, North Chungcheong, South Korea

Prestige Biologics Manufacturing Plant and R&D Centre

A state-of-the-art facility for developing challenging but vital “biosimilar” treatments

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

CSL Behring AlbuRx Facility

Unique heating and ventilation solutions for plasma-based medicine production plant

Australia

Compounding Pharmacy

Heavily monitored environments for producing patient-specific, rapid-delivery cancer drugs

Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden

McNeil Plant

A WSP team of experts drawn from two countries collaborated to deliver a tailored expansion strategy for this complex pharmaceutical site.

Australia

HVAC Upgrade for GlaxoSmithKline Blow Fill Seal Facility

The HVAC system upgrades were delivered with minimal production downtime, while creating significant improvements to the energy efficiency, maintenance accessibility, room pressure and condition stability, and to allow for the future expansion of mechanical systems.

Liverpool, North West England, UK

Astra Zeneca - Expanded Vaccine Production Plant

An expanded vaccine production plant with pioneering use of automation

United Kingdom

Delivering the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory

How collaborative working helped transform an industrial building in Royal Leamington Spa into one of the world’s largest coronavirus diagnostic testing facilities in record time.

Insights

Transforming design to support rapid response and growth in the life science and pharmaceutical sector

As an industry, we must learn from our experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and think FAST: Future-focused, Agile, with Safety in mind and demonstrating great Teamwork.

Where is your pharma facility’s weakest link?

In-depth capacity analysis and applying overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is vital for identifying production bottlenecks and planning for the future.

How the connected world is converging for healthcare

The convergence of healthcare, pharma and academia has been taking place over the past several years, fueled by a connectivity trend that is changing the way those industries approach their facilities.