Bio-outsourcing

CMOs invest in fill/finish capacity in response to biopharma demand

11-Oct-2013 By Dan Stanton

Increasing interest in biopharmaceuticals has led to significant CMO investments and upgrades with Recipharm, Vetter and Aesica upping their fill/finish game this week.

Biocon: Policy and infrastructure hold back Indian biomanufacturing

09-Oct-2013 By Dan Stanton

India’s biomanufacturing sector has immense potential, but policy, infrastructure and finance-related issues are holding it back, say both Biocon and analysts.

US flu vaccine manufacturing network looks to increase capacity by 20%

04-Oct-2013 By Zachary Brennan

The US Department of Health and Human Services has awarded almost $40m (29m Euros) in contracts to four contract flu vaccine manufacturers as part of an effort to increase fill and finish capacity by 20%.

Merck Serono, Ablynx re-up for fourth partnership on nanobody discovery

04-Oct-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Ablynx and Merck Serono expanded their relationship for a fourth time – this time in a four-year deal worth about $34m (€25m), including an initial payment of $15.5m (€11.5m).

Carbogen Amcis invests in ADC capacity

02-Oct-2013

Carbogen Amcis AG has become the latest CMO to invest in antibody drug conjugate (ADC) production.

Gallus doubles biologics capacity with acquisition of CMO Laureate

02-Oct-2013 By Dan Stanton

Gallus Biopharmaceuticals has doubled its biologics process development services with the acquisition of contract manufacturer Laureate.

Novo Nordisk takes Adimab's mAb tech in-house

27-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

Novo Nordisk says Adimab’s yeast-based monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology will significantly upgrade its discovery programme.

GE to build disposable biopharmaceutical factory for JHL Biotech in China

27-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

GE Healthcare Life Sciences has agreed to build a modular biopharmaceutical factory in China for JHL Biotech, which could be a model for ways to grow local manufacturing in emerging markets. 

US Gov buys cell lines on top of $196m GSK anti-anthrax deal

25-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says it is buying cell lines to manufacture anthrax antitoxins on top of its $196m (€145m) deal with GlaxoSmithKline to stockpile Raxibacumab.

Kemwell opens doors to West with first mAb deal from Indian plant

25-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

Kemwell says it intends to open the Indian market to contract biomanufacturing as it signs its first monoclonal antibody (mAb) development and manufacture agreement for a European biopharma. 

US NIH authorizes first uses for genomic data from HeLa cells

25-Sep-2013

A US NIH working group approved the first four projects looking to use genomic data from the infamous HeLa cell line.

Agilent splits up to create two separate businesses

20-Sep-2013

Agilent Technologies has officially separated its biopharma service offerings from its electric measurement group to create two separate companies, the life science portion of which is expected to bring in about $3.9B in FY2013.

Shire taps antibody discovery platform using llama immune systems

20-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

A new platform to help biopharma companies discover antibodies is also helping them go after more difficult targets and earn more collaborations with top biopharma companies.

EMD Millipore: New chromatography offerings will meet industry need

20-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

EMD Millipore on Tuesday launched a new protein A chromatography media to help biopharma manufacturers purify monoclonal antibodies, as well as new prepacked chromatography columns.

CRB licenses biodrug delivery protein screening tech

18-Sep-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB) has licensed rights to a system that – it claims – will let biopharmas identify the best delivery peptides more quickly.

Sonoco Launches New 'Shippers' to Ensure Cold Chain

13-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

New European GDP guidance has led Sonoco to launch a series of shippers to store and transport biopharmaceuticals whilst ensuring an unbroken cold chain.

CMOs to Strengthen on Biopharma's Cytotoxic Demand, Report says

13-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

Cytotoxics will be a key growth opportunity for third-party manufacturers as biopharma increases its injectables outsourcing over the next few years, an industry report has predicted.

Bioreliance Doubles Viral Clearance Space at Maryland Site

11-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

Bioreliance has doubled the space for clients to conduct their downstream bioprocessing studies with the opening of its new US Clearance Services Laboratories in Rockville, Maryland.

Report: Biopharma Industry’s Growth Driven By mAb Development

11-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

The $165bn biopharma market is expected to grow by about 15% annually, driven largely by increasing revenue growth from recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), according to a recent report.

CST Unveils HER3 Rabbit mAb for Researchers

06-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Cell Signaling Technology launched a new HER3 rabbit monoclonal antibody (mAb) for researchers studying HER2-mediated breast, lung and ovarian tumors. 

Ultrasensitive Immunoassay Tech Aims to Help Discover New Biomarkers

06-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Biopharma researchers will be able to use a new technology to explore biomarkers and pathways with more sensitivity and precision to create new diagnostics and improved oncology, neurology, cardiology and other therapies.

Bioreliance Launches Updated Big Blue Mouse Assay Service

04-Sep-2013

Bioreliance has launched an updated version of its mutagenicity service after conducting studies that confirmed its Big Blue Mouse assay still meets OECD standards. 

Baxter Aims At Biosimilar Enbrel Market in Deal with Coherus

04-Sep-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Baxter and Coherus Biosciences have become the latest firms to try and develop a biosimilar version of the RA treatment Enbrel in a new collaboration announced this week.

Sanofi Buys Freeslate’s Biologics Formulation System

04-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Sanofi Pasteur has purchased Freeslate’s biologics formulation system to accelerate its vaccine research and protein development programmes.

Partnership Releases Largest Collection of Human Cell Lines Deficient for Single Genes

30-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Biotech company Haplogen and the Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences this week released the largest collection of human cell lines that are deficient for single genes.

Questions of Value Raised over Amgen Purchase of Onyx as Stock Slips

28-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Investors on Tuesday seemed a little less sure of biopharma behemoth Amgen’s decision to purchase cancer specialist Onyx for more than $10B over the weekend. 

Rise of Yeast-Based MAb Tech as Adimab Inks Two More Deals

21-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

Adimab says it is cornering the market with its yeast-based monoclonal antibody (MAb) technology after inking another two discovery collaborations.

Vindon: Biomanufacturers Less Inclined to Outsource Storage Solutions

16-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

A trend to outsource storage solutions is being driven by a need to cut costs, says Vindon, though uptake amongst biomanufacturers trails that of small molecule manufacturers.

GSK Launches $50M ‘Electroceuticals’ Venture Capital Fund

16-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

GlaxoSmithKline is gambling $50M on a venture capital fund that will invest in 20 projects that pioneer bioelectric drugs and technologies that aim to target individual nerve fibres or specific brain circuits to treat an array of conditions.

Global Bioseparation Systems Market Set to Nearly Double by 2018, Report Finds

16-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

The global bioseparation systems market is projected to almost double in size from $3.25B in 2012 to $6B in 2018, at a compound annual growth rate of about 11%, according to a recent report on the market.

Partnership Looks to Commercialize Blockbuster Biosimilars

09-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

inVentiv Health and Oncobiologics are employing a unique risk-sharing partnership to bring a number of the biggest blockbuster biologics to market as biosimilars.

Best Way to Ensure Biomanufacturing Plants Have Quality? By Design

09-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

Regulatory compliance, simplicity and flexibility are the key things to remember when designing a biomanufacturing facility says Lonza, M+W and TFS.

Recent Endorsements Encouraging for Hospira's Biosimilar Programme

02-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

As the market becomes more comfortable with biosimilars, recent European approval and development deals are driving Hospira forward, the firm says.

Samsung Biologics in 10 Year Deal to Make Yervoy MAb for BMS

31-Jul-2013 By Dan Stanton

Bristol-Myers Squibb has selected Samsung Biologics to manufacture the antibody cancer drug Yervoy for markets outside the US.

New E. Coli Cell Line Could Boost Bioproduction for Manufacturers

31-Jul-2013 By Zachary Brennan

A new genetically modified strain of E. Coli cells could create enough protein for downstream production without the need for the challenging endotoxin removal steps that are currently employed.

Pfizer Licenses Transgenic Mice Tech to Make Human MAbs

26-Jul-2013 By Dan Stanton

Harbour Antibodies has received a double boost this week raising $3.3m (€2.5m) for its transgenic H2L2 mice technology and adding Pfizer to its list of clients. 

AB Sciex, Beckman Coulter Combine Chromatography, CE Biz as Part of Biologics Push

26-Jul-2013 By Zachary Brennan

AB Sciex is combining its chromatography business with the capillary electrophoresis (CE) business from Beckman Coulter (BC) to align BC’s expertise in microscale separation with AB’s expertise in microfluidics.

BioPharmas That Favour Western CMOs May Soon Look to Asia say Experts

26-Jul-2013 By Dan Stanton

Quality concerns and high shipping costs mean BioPharmas currently prefer Western CMOs, but improving standards and market opportunities may soon make Chinese contractors more attractive, experts say.

Chinese Market for Nucleic Acid Purification Expected to Grow Rapidly, Report Finds

24-Jul-2013 By Zachary Brennan

With the Chinese NAP (nucleic acid purification) market expected to grow more than 8% over the next year and no clear market leaders, companies are looking to take control of the industry space.

Sourcing Excipients an Ongoing Challenge for Biopharmas, says analyst

17-Jul-2013

Economics mean Biopharmas will continue to struggle to find excipient suppliers in the medium term, says an industry expert.

Uptake of Single-Use Bioreactors Expected to See Massive Growth, Experts Say

17-Jul-2013 By Zachary Brennan

As biopharma manufacturers look to save money setting up facilities and cleaning equipment, companies are increasingly turning to single-use technology and especially single-use bioreactors.

Technology News Is Vital for BioPharmas MIT Prof Tells BioPharma-Reporter.com

16-Jul-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Keeping up with the latest technology news is a must for biomanufacturers according to an MIT Professor who told BioPharma-Reporter.com new advances in microtechnologies could help address process development challenges. 

Wuxi to Help Develop, Manufacture ADC Candidate in China

19-Jun-2013

Ambrx and Zhejiang Medicine have selected Wuxi to accelerate the development of a potential ADC (antibody drug conjugate) targeting Her2-positive breast cancer.

Lonza Launches Combined Safety and Manufacturability Service for Biologics

13-Jun-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Lonza has launched a service to help biopharmas decide if promising protein drug candidates are worth developing, from an immunogenicity and manufacturing standpoint.

BD: Growth in Bio Led to Launch of Neopak Prefillable Syringe

11-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

BD says its new quality by design glass prefillable syringe offers added safety in delivering biologics as the industry continues to shift toward biotechnology.

SAFC Bags Two Mammalian Tech Contracts with Asian Biopharma Firms

10-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

SAFC says demand from Asian biologics firms keen to be first to market helped it win two contracts for its CHOZN production platform.

Celerion Adds Containment Room to Biologics Services

06-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

Early clinical research organisation Celerion has added a containment room to its UK facility in response to client demand for live biologics and vaccine studies.

Cobra's Cell Line Development Tech Bags Recopharma Contract

29-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

As Cobra wins a cell line development contract with Recopharma, the firm says its cost-effective gene expression technology has been its biggest growth area.

EMA Biosimilars Draft: Non-EU Reference Avoids Clinical Trial Repeats

21-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

The EMA (European Medicines Agency) has released draft guidelines on biosimilars allowing non-EEA comparators to be used in limited circumstances.

ADC Bio Expands Lab Services in Response to Demand

21-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

ADC Biotechnology says demand for antibody drug conjugates (ADC) services has skyrocketed as it receives a second financial boost to development in four months.