Genentech to expand biologics manufacturing capabilities in California
The biotech, part of the Roche group, broke ground on the new facility last week.
The Oceanside campus is located 35 miles north of San Diego, with seven buildings spanning 60 acres and around 575,000 square feet. It is focused on multi-product manufacturing with parallel commercial production and launch capabilities.
The new facility is set to be operational in early 2025. The biologics manufacturer said the plant will serve as a new model for fast, efficient production of therapeutics for smaller patient populations, including personalized and rare disease medicines. It will leverage advances in single-use technology, automation, and digital manufacturing.
The financial outlay for the new facility is part of a $450m investment in manufacturing capabilities at the Oceanside campus. Modeled after Genentech’s Clinical Supply Center in South San Francisco, the facility will incorporate the same technologies and sustainability practices. “By standardizing the design of the two facilities, we will significantly reduce the amount of time needed to transfer production from the clinical to commercial site. Once the new facility is operational in early 2025, it will just take a matter of days – instead of the traditional six to 18 months – to complete this process.”
The future of manufacturing now relies on more nimble processes to produce smaller scale, more personalized medicines that can have an even greater impact for individual patients, said Genentech.
“Starting with the Clinical Supply Center as the flagship location, and with the new biologics manufacturing facility in Oceanside on the way, we have made significant progress on what will ultimately expand to become a core and integral part of our manufacturing network of the future, serving as a template for future small-batch, flexible production facilities.”
Sustainablity goals
And the biotechnology company outlined how the new Oceanside facility will use fewer resources, resulting in considerable energy, water, and carbon savings. None of the plastic used will go to landfill.
“The Clinical Supply Center, and our next new manufacturing facility in Oceanside, are important examples of how we are advancing toward our corporate sustainability goals. We are on a path to achieve true zero emissions by 2045.”
