Readers of our February 2008 article “Construction and Start-Up Costs for Biomanufacturing Plants: Canadian Case Studies in the Cost of Regulatory Compliance” may have noticed something missing (1). Two somethings, in fact: First, biographical information for coauthor Agnès Coquet was not listed at the end of the article. She is manager of analytical development for Debiovision Inc. of Montreal, Quebec, in Canada; 1-514-842-9976, ext. 104; acoquet@debiopharm. ca. Second, “Table 1” was called out on the fourth page of the article…
Economics
From Pandemics to Bioterrorism
On 28 March 2008, BioProcess International hosted a panel discussion at the annual INTERPHEX conference (26–28 March 2008 in Philadelphia, PA), titled “From Pandemics to Bioterrorism: The Role of Bio-Manufacturing in Global Healthcare.” The discussion format grew out of a series of conversations over several months involving the panel members, INTERPHEX organizers, and BPI’s editor in chief (all participants are listed on the previous page). The group started with the premise that the biotechnology industry has a vital role to…
Opening the Door to the Chinese Pharmaceutical Market
Virtually all aspects of the Chinese economy are booming, not the least of which is its pharmaceutical sector. Growing at 20% over the past five years, the $15 billion Chinese pharmaceutical market is predicted to become the world’s fifth largest by 2010 (1), making China an attractive place to do business for multinational pharmaceutical companies (MPCs). Rising living standards and improvements in China’s regulatory and technology infrastructure are the key drivers for this continued growth. Although all segments of the…
In the Industrial Zone
Figure 1. The same genomic and proteomic technologies used to discover new drugs and therapeutics are also changing the way we live and some of the products we buy. Technologies have yielded new enzyme biocatalysts, used in producing raw and intermediate materials and consumer products. In addition to improving crop and food production, companies are using the tools of biotechnology to manufacture materials from renewable and sustainable resources, build environmentally sound industrial processes, and develop innovative solutions to growing global…
In the Bioprocess Zone
Since the turn of the century, industry analysts have touted the “coming of age” of the biotech industry — and they’re inevitably talking about biopharmaceuticals. In fact, biotech has become the innovation engine for the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. Advances in genomics, proteomics, and other biotech research are bringing about not only new drug molecules, but also whole new therapeutic classes such as gene and cell therapies. Biotherapeutics represent the fastest-growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry, with more than…
Construction and Start-Up Costs for Biomanufacturing Plants
All bioproducts heading to commercialization go through a rigorous process that includes research and development, proof of concept, and validation studies. Furthermore, the fabrication process of a biological product is very different from that of a classical (synthetic small-molecule) pharmaceutical. That’s not only because of specific characteristics and requirements of the molecular entities involved, but also environmental considerations and specific issues related to human health and safety. Such differences are reflected in the cost drivers of approved manufacturing plants. Herein…
Integrating Modular Design–Build Execution Strategies into Biotech Projects
One of the earliest and most important decisions in a biopharmaceutical facility construction project is choosing a project execution strategy. This choice affects cost, schedule, and quality of the immediate project as well as further operations throughout the facility life-cycle. As technology and best practices evolve in the early 21st century, many biopharmaceutical facility projects are integrating some form of modularization execution strategy to maximize predictable costs, schedules, and quality benefits. The modularization concept can manifest as prefabricated buildings, modular…