GTP Bioways Investing €12 Million at Toulouse
French CDMO GTP Bioways, a specialist in biotherapies and nanotherapies, is investing €12 million in two new biopharmaceutical production lines at its site in Toulouse. The first line will be dedicated to production using microbial systems (bacteria and yeast), while the second is designed for the culture of mammalian cells at a scale of 10 l.
The first line, with a capacity of 300 l, will be operational in the first quarter of 2023 and make the company the only French CDMO offering a GMP unit for producing proteins with therapeutic or vaccine-related applications as well as enzymes for manufacturing mRNA vaccines and synthetic DNA. This unit is receiving €5.9 million in funding from a French government investment for the future fund.
GTP Bioways’ second new line, a mammalian cells unit, is scheduled to start up in the 2022 fourth quarter. It will be able to produce small batches of proteins and antibodies, ranging from a few milligrams to a few grams, for a range of applications including biomolecules for vaccines and RMPU (Raw Materials for Pharmaceutical Use) for production of cell therapies. The CDMO recently won a contract for the first clinical batches of a nasally administered Covid-19 vaccine, developed by France’s Tours University.
The company said its new investments ”fit comfortably” with the French government’s initiative to bring industrial activity back to the country, in particular to build up a domestic biomedicines industry. GTP Bioways itself hopes to become a preferred partner for biotechnology companies developing innovative treatments, with an eye to producing biopharmaceutical products in France, as well in Europe generally.
“We are one of a select group of companies in Europe who are able to provide process development and manufacturing services to biotechnology companies that are working on innovative treatments,” said Eric Devic, CEO of GTP Tech. “The current biomedicine production capacity in France and Europe is not sufficient to meet burgeoning demand. By investing in domestic production lines, we can respond to this situation.”
With production sites in Toulouse and Labège, GTP Tech, a member of the GTP Bioways group, intends to double its workforce, adding to its production and quality assurance teams and increasing staff numbers from 45 in 2021 to nearly 100 by 2025.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
