Disposable Manufacturing Tech

ShangPharma pumps $60m into Qidong biologics plant for international clients

17-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

China’s ShangPharma is building a $60m (€53m) single-use biologics manufacturing plant in Qidong, to be operated by its CMO subsidiary.

Bavarian Nordic wins up to $33m to develop J&J Ebola vaccine

16-Sep-2015 By Fiona BARRY

Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic has signed a $9m contract from Johnson & Johnson to improve stability of their joint Ebola vaccine. After options and milestone awards, payment could total $33m.

Baxalta shifting to biosimilar outsourced model, selling ex-Genmab MN plant

16-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

Baxalta will sell a Minnesota facility it acquired from Genmab in 2013 as part of a new outsourcing strategy it has adopted for biosimilar production.

Danaher enters bioprocessing world with completion of Pall deal

02-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

Danaher has become a major player in upstream and downstream technologies through the completion of its $14bn acquisition of Pall Corporation.

GE gains access to SSB's membrane tech in downstream supply deal

01-Sep-2015 By Dan Stanton

GE Healthcare has extended its purification product portfolio through a supply deal with Sartorius for its membrane adsorber ion-exchange technology.

Many possible suitors for Pfizer’s biosimilar Infliximab, but no clear leader yet

01-Sep-2015 By Dan Rosenberg

Pfizer’s planned divestiture of its infliximab biosimilar candidate could create a race among competitors to gain access to the product, but in the early going, no clear leader has emerged.

Thermo Fisher: New plants show there's more to growth than just M&A

28-Jul-2015 By Dan Stanton

Thermo Fisher has added a dry powder media plant in the UK and a site in Dubai as part of its Life Sciences growth strategy.

Flexibility replacing capacity in plant design, say engineering firms

22-Jul-2015 By Dan Stanton

Biomanufacturing needs are transitioning and as such there is no set model for facility design, say engineering firms TFS and NNE Pharmaplan.

Sartorius sees revenue and sales growth in 1H and raises full year forecast

21-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Sartorius finished the first half of 2015 with increased sales, higher operating profits and a surge in orders that prompted it to raise its full year forecast.

‘Cautious’ US set to overtake Europe on single-use, says BCC Report

15-Jul-2015 By Dan Stanton

The US will catch up and overtake Europe in implementing single-use technologies over the next few years, according to a BCC Research report.

Sartorius buys Cellca for process dev knowhow

07-Jul-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA (SSB) has acquired cell line and process development contractor Cellca GmbH.

UK’s MHRA helps ‘future-proof’ Fujifilm’s mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility

26-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

In a rare move for the UK’s MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), the regulator has helped to “future-proof” CMO Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility in Billingham, UK against potential...

Small-scale will be the next big thing says UK’s CPI

24-Jun-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Small-scale production techs will dominate biopharma says the UK organisation tasked with developing the £20m “biologics factory of the future” and the £38m National Biologics Manufacturing Centre in Darlington.

|Dispatches from ACHEMA

Regulators play catch up with ever more complex manufacturing processes

18-Jun-2015 By Dan Stanton

EMA guidance on process validation for drugmakers is the latest update in cGMP regulations to manage a pharma world shifting from chemical to biological processing, says NNE Pharmaplan.

Dispatches from ACHEMA 2015

Merck Millipore: SMEs choosing single-use to retain manufacturing control

17-Jun-2015 By Dan Stanton

Small biotechs are turning to single-use to retain ownership of their manufacturing processes, says Merck Millipore as industry predicts continued double-digit growth for such systems.

Dispatches from ACHEMA 2015

Sound of Science? Pall adds acoustic wave separation tech for continuous processing

16-Jun-2015 By Dan Stanton

Pall has licensed a ‘filterless filter’ technology which developers FloDesignSonic says bridges the gap between the up and downstream in continuous bioprocessing.

update

EIB loans Poland's biggest drugmaker €45m to develop biosimilars

10-Jun-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has loaned Polpharma €45m to fund development of biosimilars and improve access to medicines in Europe.

Duck cells for Ebola vaccine production: ProBioGen highlights Emergent's use of tech for MVA EBOZ

09-Jun-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Emergent Biosolutions’ Ebola vaccine is the first to be made in cells rather than the hens’ eggs according to production tech developer ProBioGen.

Single-use demonstration sites 'needed more than ever' says Sartorius

09-Jun-2015 By Dan Stanton

Sartorius says application centres are integral to demonstrate its single-use technologies as it opens a third in New York.

update

The age of phage? World first cGMP certification for phage therapy plant

03-Jun-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

AmpliPhi Biosciences’ phage-based antibacterial therapies plant in Ljubljana has been deemed to meet manufacturing standards by Slovenian regulators.

Unique biologics pipelines driving biomanufacturing innovation, Deloitte says

02-Jun-2015 By Zachary Brennan

The adoption of new technologies related to single-use bioreactors, disposable plastic containers, continuous purification processing, and real-time quality analysis are driving the next generation of biomanufacturing, according to a new report from the...

Thermo Fisher's $15bn war chest set to further consolidate industry

22-May-2015 By Dan Stanton

Danaher's acquisition of Pall will not change the competitive landscape in the bioprocessing tech industry says Thermo Fisher, as it earmarks $10bn for further M&A activity.

AstraZeneca eyes up flexible single-use tech at $285m Swedish biologics plant

19-May-2015 By Dan Stanton

Single-use technologies will ensure flexibility at a $285m (€255m) biologics plant being constructed in Sweden, says AstraZeneca.

Bioquell mulls sale citing investor interest in pharma and worries resistance worries as growth opportunities

19-May-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Bioquell has launched a strategic review of its contamination control technology business which could result in a sale of the company.

Breaking News

Danaher to buy Pall Corporation for $14bn

13-May-2015 By Dan Stanton

Pall has agreed to be acquired by Danaher Corporation for $13.8bn (€12bn).

Rumoured $13bn Pall sale could spark M&A flurry, says analyst

12-May-2015 By Dan Stanton

The acquisition of Pall Corporation by either Thermo Fisher or Danaher could spur further M&A in the life science tech industry, according to an analyst.

WuXi begins construction on $150m disposable biomanufacturing site in China

04-May-2015 By Zachary Brennan

WuXi PharmaTech subsidiary WuXi Biologics has begun construction on a new $150m biologics manufacturing facility in Wuxi, China, which is expected to be the largest mammalian cell culture manufacturing sire using disposable bioreactors in the world.

Single-use will never fully replace stainless, say biologics makers

29-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

The plant of the future will be increasingly equipped with disposable technology but single-use will never fully replace stainless steel, according to biomanufacturers at a recent industry event.

Lilly to sell California biomanufacturing plant

28-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Eli Lilly has hired CBRE Group to sell its biomanufacturing plant in Vacaville, California, which it claims is one of the largest bulk API manufacturing facilities for recombinant microbial-based biopharmaceuticals in the US. 

Bio-CMO sector to grow over 40% on Big Biopharma's burgeoning pipelines

24-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Cheaper disposable manufacturing techs and increased demand for outsourced production will see more CMOs enter the contracting sector according to HighTech Business Decisions

Dispatches from BPI Europe

Repligen boasts about the size of its column

17-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

With an internal diameter of 60cm, Repligen says its pre-packed disposable column will cater for future downstream demands.

StemBioSys closes $8m in funding to help launch its stem cell culture system

17-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

San Antonio, Texas-based StemBioSys has closed an $8m round of Series A preferred stock financing that it will use to help launch its bone marrow-High Performance MicroEnvironment (BM-HPME) stem cell culture system.

Dispatches from BPI 2015

Sartorius' new cell harvesting tech uses brewing sector filtration knowhow

15-Apr-2015 By Dan Stanton

Sartorius has launched a cell harvesting technology, the first to incorporate diatomaceous earth filtration more commonly associated with the brewing industry.

Rentschler expands biomanufacturing line with GE’s automated liquid chromatography system

15-Apr-2015 By Zachary Brennan

CDMO Rentschler Biotechnologie has added GE's 1000th ÄKTAprocess, which is an automated liquid chromatography system built for process scale-up and large-scale biopharma, at its site in Laupheim, Germany.  

$5m private funding for PlasmaTech Biopharmaceuticals downstream tech

03-Apr-2015 By Fiona BARRY

A company which filters human blood plasma to make biologic drugs has raised $5m to develop its (factor-making) tech.

Worthing rolls out animal-free bioprocessing enzymes

01-Apr-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Worthing Biochemical has launched a range of animal product-free bioprocessing enzymes citing demand for products with no risk of TSE contamination.

US FDA rejects Amgen bid to force biosims firms to share info before review

27-Mar-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Biosimilar firms seeking US approval will not have to commit to share manufacturing data with reference drug firms before reviews, after the FDA rejected Amgen’s request for such a rule.

Genentech plans $125m expansion of Oregon manufacturing facility

27-Mar-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Genentech will invest more than $125m to expand its fill/finish facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. 

Kite broadens CAR-T manufacturing, research agreement with NCI

06-Mar-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Clinical-stage biotech Kite Pharma has broadened its Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI). 

VWR expands deal with enzymes firm NEB in latest biopharma-focused expansion

03-Mar-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

VWR has expanded its distribution deal with industrial enzymes firm New England Biolabs (NEB) in its latest biopharma-focused move.

IDRI receives $4m from BARDA to create adjuvant manufacturing hub

20-Feb-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) has received $4m in funding from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop an adjuvant manufacturing hub with both preclinical and clinical expertise to...

Repligen finishes plant expansion and forecasts higher tech revenues in 2015

13-Feb-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

Repligen has finished an expansion at its US filtration system facility eight months after bolstering its offering in this area by buying a platform from Refine Technology.

Thermo Fisher buys ASI but will consolidation drive innovation in single-use?

06-Feb-2015 By Dan Stanton

Thermo Fisher has acquired bioprocessing equipment maker ASI for $300m (€260m) in the latest example of consolidation in the single-use industry.

US dollar prompts ThermoFisher to predict flat revs in 2015 and move reagents to Lithuania

30-Jan-2015 By Gareth Macdonald

ThermoFisher has forecast flat sales and earnings in 2015, warning that weaker currencies in key markets will offset higher biopharma spending.

Sartorius: US fully embracing single-use as bioprocess unit leads 13% growth

29-Jan-2015 By Dan Stanton

The US has caught up with Europe in adopting single-use technologies, says Sartorius which reported a 32% growth in sales for the region in 2014.

ABEC buys Ireland plant to make bioprocessing equipment in Europe

16-Jan-2015 By Dan Stanton

Bioprocess equipment maker ABEC has bought an ex-electronic component facility in Ireland in order to gain greater access to the European market.

NeoStem, Invetech to develop closed processing system for cell therapy manufacturing

14-Jan-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Cell therapy manufacturer NeoStem and contract manufacturer Invetech have agreed to develop a new closed processing system for cell therapy manufacturing. 

Argos looks to disposables for manufacturing personalized immunotherapies

07-Jan-2015 By Zachary Brennan

Cancer and infectious disease immunotherapy developer Argos Therapeutics is collaborating with Saint-Gobain’s Performance Plastics division, to design, integrate and scale production of a range of disposables for use in the manufacturing of Argos’ lead...

Singapore develops plan to support influx of biomanufacturing

16-Dec-2014 By Zachary Brennan

Industry heavyweights and Singaporean development groups have unveiled a five-year roadmap to deal with the need for more employees in the fast-growing biologics manufacturing industry on the island.

Peregrine expanding own CMO to make mAb candidate rather than outsource

11-Dec-2014 By Dan Stanton

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals is expanding its contract manufacturing capacity to meet growing client demand and to produce its own monoclonal antibody bavituximab, the company has revealed.