Bioprocessing

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The CDMO/CMO Report

Driven by increased demand in biologic-based drugs, biologic drug substance manufacturing continues to be an active area of investment by contract development and manufacturing organizations/contract manufacturing organizations (CDMOs/CMOs), including several multi-billion large-scale biomanufacturing projects. What companies are expanding, and where do these expansions stand?

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​​Lonza Completes Expansion of Microbial Manufacturing Facility

Lonza recently announced that it has completed a planned expansion of the mid-scale microbial manufacturing facility at its Visp, Switzerland site. This multi-product facility was recently granted a GMP license, allowing cGMP manufacturing and release of biologics produced using microbial fermentation.

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MSD to Buy B-Cell Depletion Therapy from Curon

Major US drugmaker MSD is to pay up to $1.3 billion to acquire CN201, a novel investigational clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases, from biotechnology company Curon Biopharmaceutical.

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Touchlight and GSK Sign License Agreement for DNA Production

Touchlight, a UK-based custom development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in enzymatic DNA production, signed a license agreement with British drugmaker GSK which grants GSK non-exclusive rights to use Touchlight’s proprietary enzymatic dbDNA (doggybone DNA) technology for the development and production of mRNA-based products.

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Agilent to Buy Canadian CDMO Biovectra for $925 Million

Santa Clara, CA-based Agilent Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire specialized contract development and manufacturing organization Biovectra from H.I.G. Capital in a move to expand its end-to-end biopharma solutions.

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Aurigene Opens Biologics Facility

Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited (Aurigene), a Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited company, inaugurated its biologics facility spread across 6500 m2 (70,000 sq ft) in Hyderabad, India.

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Sartorius and Sanofi Collaborate to Boost Downstream Process Efficiency

Life science group Sartorius and biopharmaceutical firm Sanofi are partnering to create a platform for continuous downstream bioprocessing. Sartorius will use its engineering and manufacturing skills to commercialize integrated and continuous biomanufacturing (ICB) platforms, using Sanofi’s prototypes. In exchange, Sanofi will provide Sartorius with exclusive access to its ICB platform knowledge and patents.

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Aragen Launches First Phase of Biologics Facility in India

Aragen, a CRDMO, has launched the first phase of its biologics manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India. The $30 million project, executed by its subsidiary Aragen Biologics Pvt Ltd, has completed its first small-scale manufacturing project for a US-based organization, producing a novel anticancer monoclonal antibody.

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Evonik and Vland Biotech Begin Joint Venture

Evonik Vland Biotech, a new joint venture between Evonik China and Shandong Vland Biotech, began operations on January 1, 2024. The venture aims to expand the market presence of their livestock probiotics in Greater China and develop new products. The official opening took place in Qingdao on March 14.

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Biosurfactants at Scale

In response to the urgent need for sustainable solutions in the ­surfactants industry, companies like Locus Ingredients are developing environmentally friendly biosurfactants.

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New Biologics and Advanced Therapies

The pharmaceutical market is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by innovation among biologics and advanced therapies (ATs). This shift is not only redefining the treatment landscape but also presenting new opportunities and challenges related to the drug development and manufacturing value chain.

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Siegfried Demonstrates Biologics Expertise in Hameln

The Fill & Finish of biologic drugs is expensive and poses special technological challenges for CDMOs. At the German site in Hameln, Siegfried has successfully proven these capabilities over the past two years by producing Covid-19 vaccines and a significant number of clinical batches for several biological companies. By investing in its competencies, capacities and flexibility, the company intends to further expand this demanding but promising business area.

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3M Ramps Up Biopharma Filtration Capabilities

Science and technology group 3M has announced plans to invest $146 million to expand its biopharma filtration capabilities at manufacturing facilities in Europe. The company did not disclose the facilities’ locations.

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Germany’s Merck Signs MoU on Korean Biotech Hub

Germany’s Merck said this week it has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), and Daejeon City to establish a new Asia-Pacific BioProcessing Center.

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Purolite Expands UK Bioprocessing Resin Production

Purolite, a US manufacturer of ion exchange resins that is also part of Ecolab, has opened up a new facility in Llantrisant, Wales, tripling its bioprocessing resin production. The company said the extra output will meet growing global demand for biopharmaceutical products.

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