Rentschler now house two 2,000L and two 1,000L bioreactors at its single-use facility in Laupheim, Germany, while a facility at the same site - which opened in September - offers drugmakers two 3,000 liter stainless steel bioreactor systems.
The contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) attributed the implementation of the new bioreactor to increased global demand for biologics manufacturing, and spokeswoman Marion Schrader said both big pharma and small biotech are looking for monoclonal antibody, antibody derived molecule, and biosimilar capacity.
Having both single-use and stainless steel capabilities allows the firm to capture more of this market, she told Biopharma-Reporter.
“The clients have different demands with regards to the scale of production, product characteristics, flexibility as well as technology,” she said. “Rentschler actively offers both single-use and stainless steel biomanufacturing to be flexible and to respond to clients’ needs.”
While drugmakers can opt for single-use equipment for small scale commercial manufacturing of, say, orphan drugs, the new twin stainless steel system which began operations in September, can offer larger volumes.
The two recent investments mirror a spate of expansions for the German CMO, and as such, Schrader told us the firm is looking to bolster its workforce.
“As we have made significant investments in new plant and facilities recently, the Rentschler workforce will continue to grow. Currently, Rentschler has a staff of 700 and we have an active on-going recruitment program.”