Thursday, January 17, 2019 Daily Archives

Boehringer expanding China CDMO plant

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Boehringer Ingelheim has begun an expansion at its biomanufacturing facility in Shanghai as it looks to tap the “great potential in China.†The expansion at the site in Shanghai covers an additional bioreactor and will include the necessary utility and infrastructure to support GMP operations of two 2,000 L single use bioreactor manufacturing lines. When asked, the Germany-headquartered firm did not divulge further details on the specifics of the investment. Boehringer Ingelheim spent more than €70 million in the first-phase…

January 17, 2019

Pfizer: ‘Dropped preclinical programs do not change commitment to biosimilars’

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In the latest example of a Big Biopharma reducing its biosimilar presence, Pfizer has abandoned five of its preclinical programs. The decision is part of an R&D review set to cut 150 jobs in Illinois and India. In November 2018, Bioprocess Insider reported claims that Big Pharma is set to exit from the biosimilars space over the next five years. Within weeks of publishing, Boehringer Ingelheim joined the likes of Germany’s Merck KGaA and Novartis division Sandoz in abandoning elements…

January 17, 2019

Sanofi licensing deal validates Ab platform, says Biomunex

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Sanofi has licensed the plug-and-play BiXAb platform to generate multi-specific antibodies. The deal validates the technology and will help fund Biomunex’s internal pipeline, says CEO Pierre-Emmanuel Gerard. Under terms of the deal, Biomunex will receive an initial upfront payment from fellow French firm Sanofi, and will be eligible to receive future milestone payments. Specific figures have not been disclosed. This is the first licensing deal for Biomunex’s BiXAb bi- and multi-specific antibody generation and optimization technology, and according to CEO…

January 17, 2019