Resilience to expand global footprint, collaborating on first GMP biopharma facility in UAE
The US biomanufacturing and technology company and the investor group also signed a deal that they say is intended to help secure the global biopharma supply chain and advance the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) life sciences ecosystem through a biopharma manufacturing collaboration: the end result will be the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Mubadala will establish the production site, and it will be operated by Resilience. The facility will include a range of therapeutics for complex diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, as well as vaccines.
As part of the alliance, Resilience, which is led by former Novavax chief Rahul Singhvi, has agreed to provide manufacturing, technology, and operational expertise for the Abu Dhabi-based facility and integrate the site as a node within its global network.
The facility would be the first GMP biopharma facility in the region.
The move expands the reach of Resilience beyond North America. The company was formed by Robert Nelsen in November 2020: promising a new business model after seeing COVID-19 expose shortfalls in supply chains and manufacturing. It pledged to invest in developing new manufacturing technologies across multiple therapeutic modalities, including vaccines, cell and gene therapies, viral vectors, and proteins.
AstraZeneca tie-up
In November last year, Resilience announced the establishment of a long-term partnership between it and AstraZeneca aimed at the biomanufacturing of established and emerging modalities.
Under the deal, the Anglo-Swedish company will have strategic access to Resilience’s end-to-end capabilities. The US CDMO will purchase AstraZeneca’s manufacturing facility located in West Chester, Ohio. Resilience will manufacture select AstraZeneca medicines at the facility as part of a multi-year supply agreement.
The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions
The West Chester site is a commercial-scale, 580,000 square-foot facility with a strong record of regulatory and commercial drug supply performance in numerous global markets. It is equipped with end-to-end drug product manufacturing capabilities, including aseptic filling, inspection, packaging, labeling, and cold-chain operations for vials, cartridges, pre-filled syringes, and autoinjectors, as well as a virtual reality training center.
