In both the US and Europe, the company is increasing  its single-use manufacturing footprint by 30% and doubling its cleanroom space to support growing customer demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), novel cell and gene therapies for oncology and other diseases, as well as vaccines, including those for Covid-19.

After recently expanding its single-use facility at Morrisville, North Carolina, Avantor plans to complete a cleanroom expansion at its Devens, Massachusetts, site by mid-2021 as well as open a second European single-use facility in Hillegom, the Netherlands. The company said its global footprint enables it to serve more than 225,000 customer locations and gives it extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries.

The new investment is designed to further strengthens Avantor’s single-use network, allowing it to provide product consistency and capabilities close to bio-production customers. This, it said, will help ensure efficient and uninterrupted supply.

Ger Brophy, executive vice president of biopharma production, noted that the industry's response to the pandemic has relied heavily on the integration of single-use products into biopharma production processes. The planned additions to Avantor’s global single-use manufacturing ecosystem, he said, “are critical steps in enabling our customers to get therapies to patients quickly.”

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist