MilliporeSigma has accelerated plans to add a single-use assembly production unit at its site in Molsheim, France on the back of COVID-19 demand. The $30 million injection at the site, just west of Strasbourg, will add 18,300 square feet of cleanroom space to produce MilliporeSigma’s Mobius single-use assemblies for use in the production of both COVID-19 vaccines and other therapies. The expansion will generate more than 350 jobs. The facility will become the first European site to make the single-use…

Strong demand for large-scale single-use systems has driven Thermo Fisher to launch bioreactors with capacities beyond the standard limits. Single-use bioreactors have become a staple in the bioprocess industry, both for clinical and commercial batches. Traditionally, these have been restricted in size due to pressure challenges from the increased weight of the liquid medium in larger volume bags with 2,000 L being the upper limit. Thus, if biomanufacturers require larger volumes, they generally would run several systems in unison or…

Thermo Fisher’s $600 million CAPEX has got the trade press salivating. But similar statements, expansions underway, and continued demand mean this is just another day in the pandemic-fueled bioprocess space. Yesterday, Thermo Fisher Scientific issued a press release to announce “more than $600 million in capital investments to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities through 2022.” The firm said: “These investments are expected to more than double the company’s current manufacturing capacity and support biopharma customers as they ramp up to…

Repligen says it will both reinvest in its manufacturing network and look for M&A opportunities to feed the high demand for bioprocess consumables. For the full year 2020, bioprocessing tech firm Repligen Corporation reported sales of $366 million, up 36% year-on-year. The fourth quarter itself pulled in $108 million, representing a 56% increase on the same period 2019. As with fellow bioprocess vendors (Danaher, Sartorius, Thermo Fisher etc), COVID-19 played a major part in Repligen’s 2020 top line, with its…

Development of complex methods enabling real-time release of therapeutics requires creativity and collaboration, say experts from NIIMBL and SCIEX. Interest in real-time release (RTR) is driving the industry to think about process intensification in a coordinated manner. Process intensification offers the potential for increased efficiencies and thereby reduced cost and time for drug production. Workflows, capital and operating expenses, product quality, and waste production can all be positively impacted. There is consequently a push in the industry to develop and…

Avitide says a specific SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein affinity resin greatly helps the current COVID-19 efforts and could greatly accelerate the speed of response in future pandemics. Bioprocess service and consumable firms are looking to support the next wave of COVID-19 vaccines as they progress through the clinic. Last week, we reported that Repligen and Navigo launched an affinity resin specifically for the purification of COVID-19 vaccines. But they are not alone, and New Hampshire-based firm Avitide recently finalized its…

Repligen and Navigo have launched an affinity resin specifically for the purification of COVID-19 vaccines. Last year, bioprocess technology firm Repligen teamed with protein engineering firm Navigo Proteins GmbH to develop an affinity ligand specifically for COVID-19 vaccines. Like many COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic efforts themselves, the collaboration plus speed of development have borne fruit with the firms launching the NGL COVID-19 Spike Protein Affinity Resin this week. While the handful of COVID-19 vaccines approved so far are not protein-based…

Thermo Fisher Scientific cited COVID-19 as a revenue driver in 2020 and predicted that pandemic-related work will make an even bigger contribution this year. Thermo’s revenues grew 26% in 2020 to $32.2 billion with COVID-19 testing and vaccine and therapy-related development activity generating $6.6 billion. The contribution from Thermo’s pharma and biotechnology business grew 25% in Q4 driven by increased demand for COVID-19 related bioproduction, pharma and bioscience services. Revenue from academic, government and industrial customers also increased as result…

Sartorius has increased its 2025 target to €5 billion given robust financial results achieved in its Bioprocess Solutions (BPS) Division in 2020. Sartorius reported its Q4 2020 financials this week, revealing that total sales revenues rose to €2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) a 30% increase compared to 2019. The firm also told shareholders its order intake is up around 49% to 2.83 billion. The firm said its BPS division has experienced sharp rises in revenue and earnings, aided by its role…