Bio-outsourcing

Cobra Biologics and Alligator Bioscience extend partnership

23-Jun-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

Cobra Biologics has been re-contracted by Alligator Bioscience to support cell line development for an immune-oncology antibody.

Amgen confirms it is working on a version of Alexion's drug

Amgen developing Soliris biosimilar

21-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Amgen has started a trial of a biosimilar version of Alexion Pharmaceuticals’ Soliris (Eculizumab).

Japanese firms form monoclonal antibody manufacturing JV with an eye on biosims

21-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Nippon Kayaku have said they will start making monoclonal antibody drugs at a site in Niigata, Japan within two years.

Scancell stops dosing in long-term trial of cancer vaccine SCIB1

21-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Scancell Holdings has stopped dosing in a long-term extension arm of a trial of its cancer vaccine SCIB1 after discovering the product is no longer within original specification.

VGXI plant expansion to support Inovio's Zika DNA vaccine development

21-Jun-2016 By Dan Stanton

DNA vaccines are safer and quicker to produce than egg or cell-based products, says VGXI which manufactured material for a recently approved first-in-man study of a Zika vaccine.

Novartis to bring biomanufacturing ‘all under one roof’ with $1bn Sandoz investments

21-Jun-2016 By Dan Stanton

Novartis will continue investing in its manufacturing network to support a biologics pipeline which includes five new biosimilars it expects to launch by 2020.

CrownBio expands immuno-oncology offerings

16-Jun-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

Crown Bioscience has expanded its immuno-oncology platform at its facilities in Europe, the US, and Asia to include immunophenotyping analysis.

Biopharma CRO round-up: Eurofins, Charles River and more

14-Jun-2016 By Staff Reporter

An expansion in Ireland for Eurofins, new cell screening tech for Cyprotex, and an mRNA development deal for Charles River. Welcome to Biopharma-Reporter’s bio-service round-up.

BIO 2016

Technology, not capacity, driving Catalent’s biologics strategy

14-Jun-2016 By Dan Stanton

Differentiated technologies buoyed by the recent $600m conjugation deal with Roche is driving Catalent’s biologics business, the firm told Biopharma-Reporter at BIO.

Lonza to make commercial gene therapies for Bluebird bio at new Texas site

10-Jun-2016 By Dan Stanton

Increased demand for gene therapy services will drive further investment in Lonza's capabilities, the firm says as it inks a strategic deal with Bluebird.

Replicating DNA structures is key to faster gene therapy vector manufacturing says Touchlight

10-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Replicating secondary structures in viral DNA could be key to developing to faster AAV vector production methods according to UK tech firm Touchlight.

Kite and CDL to develop way of dialing down CAR-T activity for safer cell therapies

08-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Kite Pharma and Cell Design Labs (CDL) have teamed up to develop “on/off” dials for CAR-T cell therapies that will reduce off site effects.

update

Cobra and Touchlight aim to make AAV vector production faster and cheaper

07-Jun-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Cobra Biologics has teamed up with Touchlight to test an AAV vector production platform they claim will make manufacturing gene therapies for trials cheaper and faster.

Breaking the single-use paradigm? CMC Biologics to offer 12,000L scale runs

03-Jun-2016 By Dan Stanton

Single-use manufacturing runs have been limited to 2,000L, but CMC Biologics says it will be able to offer 12,000L of commercial scale through its bioreactor configuration platform.

Downstream test facility set to address scale-up issues and keep investment in UK

31-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

A downstream centre in Scotland will allow local biotechs to test product scale-up without outsourcing overseas, while complementing other Government-funded bioprocessing projects in the UK.

Safety board clears TxCell to restart Ovasave study that was halted last year

27-May-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

TxCell has been cleared to restart a Phase IIb trial of its candidate Crohn’s disease cell therapy by European regulators.

CGT to test scaffold tech for commercial-scale T-cell production

25-May-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

The UK Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT) will test a “scaffold” technology its Australian developers say could make T-cell production more efficient.

Evercyte and VTU team to develop animal-free cell growth media

25-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

Evercyte has teamed up with VTU Technology to develop cell culture media free from animal derived products, which the firm says is now essential for biomanufacturers.

Repligen raising $100m may signal more M&A activity to come

24-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

An offering of $100m of convertible notes expected to close today could be used to fund future acquisitions, according to Repligen.

Albumedix tech key to Chinese efforts to develop once-a-week diabetes drug

23-May-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Recombinant albumin supplier Albumedix will help Hebei Changshan Biochem Pharma develop a once-a-week diabetes treatment.

EAG expands biopharma analysis capabilities in 'major investment'

20-May-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

EAG has further invested in ABC Laboratories' capacity and analytical capabilities in order to help meet demand for high-end biopharmaceutical analysis. 

Biopharma CEOs shifting focus

19-May-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

According to the most recent Biopharma CEO Confidence Index, CEOs are shifting their focus back to their pipelines and have plans to increase outsourcing.

Biogen eyes Regenxbio delivery tech for candidate occular gene therapies

17-May-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Biogen has licensed rights use a gene therapy delivery technology from developer Regenxbio.

BioLife high on cell therapy opportunities for its media and logistics services

13-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

BioLife Solutions has partnered with transportation firm MNX and says it expects increased demand for its biologistics services as more cell therapies enter the clinic.

UK cell and gene therapy capacity hike signals long-term role says CGT

11-May-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Recent capacity growth means the UK will be a cell and gene therapy hub for years to come according to the authors of a new manufacturing survey. 

Emergent ready to scale-up anthrax vax, wins follow-on US stockpile contract

11-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

The US Government is set to extend an anthrax vaccine supply contract, and Emergent Biosolutions believes its new commercial-scale facility coming online was a driving factor.

Repligen to expand chromatography column production capacity in US and Europe

10-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

Repligen says it intends to build out a recently acquired German facility to support its European downstream technologies presence.

Biologics CDMO opens new facility in Research Triangle

10-May-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

The BioProcess Innovation Center is a new three-story, 62,000 square foot facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Samsung on Samsung: Bioepis selects Biologics as a biosimilars CMO

03-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

Samsung Biologics has been contracted by its joint venture entity Samsung Bioepis to manufacturer biosimilars from its facility in Korea.

Goodwin selected to make bispecific antibody candidate for Russian firm

03-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

Distance and time differences are not barriers when choosing a biologics CMO, says Goodwin Biotechnology which has won a bispecific antibody process and scale-up contract from Russia’s IBC Generium.

'Reshaped manufacturing' means continued investment in biologics capacity, AstraZeneca

03-May-2016 By Dan Stanton

Plans to reshape its manufacturing network will include increasing biologics capacity beyond its recent acquisitions and expansions, says AstraZeneca.

Samsung Biologics: IPO will support ambition to be top bio-CMO

29-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Samsung Biologics says going public will help fulfil its ambition to become the world’s largest biologics contract manufacturing organisation (CMO).

BPI Europe 2016

Pall: Bioprocessing's future is made of virtual reality

27-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Pall Corporation has embraced a virtual reality platform to showcase some of its bioprocessing systems at industry shows.

Lonza to invest in existing mammalian cell culture facilities after strong Q1

27-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Lonza plans to expand mammalian cell culture-based drug and viral manufacturing capacity after growth in both businesses helped it to record first quarter sales.

Biotrinity 2016

Partnerships leading the way for Biopharma's immuno-oncology pipeline

27-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Three deals in the last week signal AbbVie’s strategy in immuno-oncology but are just the latest examples of Big Biopharma’s trend for clinical partnerships.

Merck opens €55m Irish plants supporting downstream consumables business

26-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Germany’s Merck has opened a chromatography media facility as part of a €55m investment in Ireland supporting growing demand for its Protein A resin.

Brexit bad for biosimilar developers says new industry group

22-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Brexit would create regulatory uncertainty, delay the launch of biosimilars and prevent NHS cost savings according to the newly founded British Biosimilars Association (BBA).

Sartorius pumping over €100m into production network to support growth

22-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Sartorius will invest around 10% of its annual revenues into its manufacturing network to support continued double-digit growth of its bioprocessing equipment business.

Single-use and Stainless steel: Hybrid technologies the future of drug production says expert

20-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Single-use is the future but stainless steel bioreactors will always play a role in drug production says an expert, who thinks firms could do worse than consult a CMO before deciding in which technology to invest.

Pluristem in talks with large Japanese firm interested in cell therapy pact

19-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Pluristem is in partnership talks with a large Japanese pharmaceutical firm interested in its cell therapies for hematopoietic diseases.

Vaccines and biologics driving Charles River investments

12-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Demand for biological products has driven recent investments in vaccine manufacturing and cell banking, says Charles River Laboratories.

Microbial or mammalian? BioSilta backs the former licensing E. Coli platform

08-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Microbial expression systems are cheaper and more efficient than mammalian cell cultures says BioSilta which has acquired the rights to an E. coli based platform.

QPS collaborates to advance biologics bioanalysis solution

07-Apr-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

The new collaboration aims to advance a workflow solution for biologics quantification.

GE and Zenith collaborate on bioprocessing automation

05-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

GE has teamed up with Zenith Technologies to implement automation across its single-use and modular bioprocessing technologies.

CrownBio develops mouse strains with human PD-1 for mAb testing

05-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Crown Bioscience has developed humanized mouse cancer models which it claims provide biologic drug developers with an improved means of assessing efficacy.

Beyond Protein A: Repligen continues diversification with Atoll buy

05-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Repligen has expanded its downstream portfolio through the acquisition of chromatography column maker Atoll.

Samsung Bioepis receives positive EMA opinion for Remicade biosimilar

01-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

An EMA committee has recommended the approval of Samsung Bioepis’ Flixabi, a biosimilar of Janssen’s Remicade (infliximab).

Eurofins agrees to buy US analytical services firm Advantar Laboratories

01-Apr-2016 By Gareth Macdonald

Eurofins Scientific has agreed to buy analytical services firm Advantar Laboratories in its latest deal in the pharmaceutical space.

Thermo Fisher strengthens antibody services through Affymetrix merger

01-Apr-2016 By Dan Stanton

Thermo Fisher has expanded its life sciences tools business through the acquisition of biological analysis firm Affymetrix for $1.3bn.

Merger prepares for 'tidal wave' of gene therapy products

31-Mar-2016 By Melissa Fassbender

Brammer Biopharmaceuticals and Florida Biologix have merged to create a cell and gene therapy biologics CDMO in preparation for a “tidal wave” of gene therapy products.