Baxter Biopharma Solutions will invest $100 million to expand its fill-finish capabilities at a plant in Halle/Westfalen, Germany.
The German facility is operated by Baxter Biopharma Solutions (BPS), the contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) arm of Baxter International. The $100 million expansion will add a syringe filling line and additional lyophilized and liquid vial capacity.
According to the firm, the addition of an aseptic syringe filling line will enable BPS to meet the increased demand for fill-finish services in Europe and the US, as well as growing its manufacturing footprint.
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“Lyophilization can improve stability of complex injectables and is commonly employed for parenteral drugs that have poor stability in solution,†a spokesperson for Baxter told BioProcess Insider.
“Pre-filled syringes can enhance efficiency and ease-of-use for clinicians as well as patients and have the potential to minimize microbial contamination and reduce medication dosing errors during medication preparation, which are key considerations for patient safety. Pre-filled syringes are one of the fastest-growing choices for unit dose medication, especially for vaccines and self-administered medications such as those used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.â€
BPS says the site complies with current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) regulations, has sterile manufacturing capabilities, and is designed to deliver products with efficiency and speed.
The firm’s Halle/Westfalen facility is engaged in various collaborations to provide sterile manufacturing services for COVID-19 vaccines, including BPS’ sterile manufacturing agreement announced in January for Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine, NVX-CoV2373.
BPS said it expects to add approximately 90 full-time employees during peak production years on the back of the expansion.
Building is expected to start in 2022 and construction complete by 2024.