LakePharma ups biologics offering with Massachusetts site
The US-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) moved into the 69,000 sq. ft. site – located at 35 South Street, Hopkinton – last week, which includes laboratory, office space, and dedicated manufacturing space.
LakePharma said the site offers clients “microbiomanufacturing” services, which spokesperson Brendan Doherty told us refers to single use, small scale bioprocessing.
And according to the CDMO, the facility will be used to “develop the site to perform GMP [good manufacturing practice] biologics manufacturing for Phase I clinical trials.”
“The increased capacity at the site will also support growth in LakePharma’s assay development, bioanalytical, process development and QC [quality control] services,” it added.
LakePharma plans to add approximately 100 positions at the site by 2020.
New customers?
Doherty told us offering more “integrated services” will be attractive to existing and potential new customers.
CEO Hua Tu said the site location will also an advantage.
“Hopkinton is in close proximity to Cambridge/Boston, where we have a large cluster of clients, and we believe that this facility will increase our ability to serve their product development and manufacturing needs.”
The CDMO has a vector facility in Worcester, MA – where it plans to double its molecular biology and cell culture operations later this year – a development centre in Hayward, CA, and antibody-focused centres in South San Francisco and Belmont, CA.
South Road site
Doherty told us South Road facility is a former Stryker site.
Olympus Biotech purchased Stryker Biotech in 2010.
In February, 2014 Olympus Corporation announced plans to discontinue its US biotechnology division, Olympus Biotech, including the closure of its Hopkinton, MA facility.
