Named J.POD 2EU, the site will use tech from Evotec subsidiary Just-Evotec Biologics: which utilizes small, automated, highly intensified and continuous bioprocessing operations housed inside autonomous cleanrooms.
Construction of the €150m ($181.8m) site will start in H2, 2021. Once operational in 2023, it will be able to product therapeutic antibodies, including those related to infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
Situated at Evotec’s Campus Curie, build-up of J.POD2 EU will be supported with up to €50m ($60.6m) from the French government and regional and local governments. Campus Curie was also recently expanded through the acquisition of Biopark by Sanofi.
The French site will be Evotec’s second cGMP biomanufacturing facility. The construction of the first US site, ‘J.POD 1 US’, in Redmond, Washington, is expected to be fully operational later this year.
Dr Craig Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer of Hamburg-headquartered Evotec, said: “With Just – Evotec Biologics, Evotec has world-leading expertise for biologics discovery, process development and production.
"We are very pleased with the market response and demand for J.POD 1 US even ahead of completion, so this second J.POD facility is a significant expansion of our capacity of disruptive and transformational bioproduction.
“In addition, the flexibility of the modular J.POD setup also creates potential opportunities for cell and gene therapy biomanufacturing. These modalities, which are also an integral part of our data-driven R&D Autobahn to Cures, therefore also stand to benefit from this new facility.”
