Facilities & Capacity Archives - Page 54 of 73 - BioProcess InternationalBioProcess International

Cannabis culture: Cronos buys 102,000 L microbial plant from Apotex

The facility in Winnipeg, Canada will be used to produce cell cultured cannabinoids through its collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks, says Cronos Group. Cannabinoid company Cronos Group has agreed to buy Apotex Fermentation Inc’s 84,000 square-foot biomanufacturing factory in Winnipeg for an undisclosed fee. If the deal closes – expected in Q3 – it will bring Cronos a facility with a combined production capacity of 102,000L, three downstream processing plants, and bulk product and packaging capabilities. The site will support manufacturing…

IDT Biologika wins 10-year US gov pentavalent vaccine deal

by BPI Staff

IDT Biologika will manufacture five E. coli Master Cell Banks from its Maryland site to support a pentavalent vaccine for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US government’s NIH, awarded a 10-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) task order contract to vaccine and drugmaker IDT Biologika. The task order will support a pentavalent vaccine by manufacturing five Master Cell Banks from IDT’s Rockville, Maryland plant, based on the…

Rights of Passage: Paragon building dedicated gene therapy suite

by Dan Stanton

CDMO Catalent’s unit Paragon will construct a dedicated manufacturing suite in Maryland to service Passage Bio’s clinical and commercial gene therapies using fixed-bed bioreactor technology. Paragon Bioservices – renamed Paragon Gene Therapy following its $1.2 billion (€1.1 billion) acquisition by contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) – has been selected by Philadelphia-based Passage Bio to manufacture its AAV-delivered gene therapies for monogenic central nervous system diseases. As such, the CDMO will build a dedicated suite in Harmans, Maryland, near Baltimore…

CDMO Celonic jumping into cell & gene therapies with €50m plant

by Dan Stanton

Following a €50 million ($56 million) investment in its biomanufacturing capabilities, Celonic is spending a similar amount to propel itself into the commercial cell and gene therapy space. Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Celonic announced last year the construction of a GMP facility at its site in Heidelberg, Germany, increasing clean room area by approximately 2,000 square meters to support clients’ Phase III and commercial biologics programs. CEO Konstantin Matentzoglu told Bioprocess Insider on stage at BIO that the…

Fujifilm investing $30m into cell culture media plant in Netherlands

by Dan Stanton

Fujifilm Irvine Scientific says a third facility at its Tilburg site will help meet future demand for cell culture media from biomanufacturers. Plans have been laid for a 250,000 square-foot building at Fujifilm’s site in Tilburg, The Netherlands to produce a range of media for the biomanufacturing space. When operations begin – expected late 2021 – the plant will increase Fujifilm Irvine Scientific’s production capacity by 320,000 Kg per year for dry powder, and 470,000 L per year for liquids.…

Lonza takes parenteral control through Novartis plant buy and contract

by Dan Stanton

CDMO Lonza has acquired a fill & finish facility in Switzerland from big pharma firm Novartis it says boosts its end-to-end offering. The deal sees contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza take over the reins at fellow Swiss firm Novartis’ sterile, multi-product drug product facility in Stein. Lonza will retain operational and management staff at the site and manufacture clinical drug product for Novartis. Financial details have not been disclosed. “The facility can handle liquid and lyophilized dosage forms…

Amicus contracts Thermo Fisher to make Batten disease gene therapy

by BPI Staff

Brammer Bio, now part of Thermo Fisher, will provide clinical and commercial manufacturing capabilities for gene therapy developer Amicus Therapeutics. Under terms of the deal, Amicus has teamed with Thermo Fisher to support its intrathecal AAV Batten disease gene therapy programs. The agreement includes production of Amicus’ clinical candidates CLN6 and CLN3, with production set to be transferred to Thermo Fisher’s manufacturing sites in Alachua, Florida, and Cambridge, Massachusetts The contract is “a significant next step in fulfilling our manufacturing…

Catalent Novavax deal ups Paragon gene therapy footprint by 65%

by Dan Stanton

The $18 million acquisition is a drop in the ocean compared to the Paragon Bioservices buy but demonstrates Catalent’s appetite to push ahead in the gene therapy space. The $18 million (€16 million) deal sees contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Catalent – through its gene therapy unit Paragon – take over the leases of two facilities in Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland from vaccine firm Novavax. All related manufacturing equipment and over 100 of Novavax’ employees will transfer to Paragon.…

Cobra’s Symbiosis relationship making UK cell and gene competitive

by Dan Stanton

CDMOs Cobra Biologics and Symbiosis have completed a collaboration they say has increased and simplified viral vector production and increased the UK’s competitiveness in cell and gene therapy services. After 18 months, the £4.8 million ($6 million) project has come to an end. The collaboration intended to build up viral vector capabilities while supporting the development of gene therapies in the UK, and the two contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) say these aims have been achieved. “One key aim…

WuXi invests in ADCs again to prep for commercial products

by Dan Stanton

WuXi Biologics will further expand an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) facility in China on the expectation of its clients’ projects moving to commercial production. In June 2018, WuXi Biologics announced plans to construct a $20 million (€17.6 million), 6,000 square meter facility for protein conjugates, including ADCs, set to be operational later this year. A year on, and the Chinese contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has said it is further expanding the site in Wuxi city, China adding cGMP commercial…