Tuesday, October 30, 2018 Daily Archives

Viral Risk Mitigation: A Global Regulatory Perspective

The production of biologics will always have the risk of viral contamination. Manufacturers have developed a multitiered approach — tailored to individual processes — to prevent adventitious viruses from entering production processes, detect contamination in raw materials and process intermediates, and remove viruses in downstream purification. This article provides an overview of the global regulatory framework to ensure the viral safety of biologics. Past Contamination Events Past contamination events have resulted in corrective and preventative actions to reduce the risk…

Biocon investing $200m into second MAb plant in India

Construction is under way on a hybrid biomanufacturing plant at a site in Bangalore, set to support Biocon’s growing monoclonal antibody (MAb) portfolio. Indian drugmaker Biocon has a growing pipeline of biological products, including Ogivri, the first biosimilar of Roche’s Herceptin (trastuzumab) to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last December, and Fulphila, the first US biosimilar of Amgen’s cancer drug Neulasta (pegfilgrastim), approved in June. Both are marketed by Mylan, but including products developed in…

High Octane: Lonza buys 80% of ‘game-changing’ cell therapy tech partner

Lonza has acquired a controlling stake in its partner Octane Biotech and will incorporate the closed and automated Cocoon processing tech into its autologous cell therapy offering. Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza has collaborated with Octane Biotech for the past three years to develop the Cocoon manufacturing system. But this week, the Swiss CDMO purchased additional equity to hold a controlling stake of 80% in the firm, with an option for outright ownership. “Owning a controlling stake ensures…