WuXi Expand Bioprocessing Capacity with New Bioreactors
Despite its parent company facing scrutiny and potential sanctions from the U.S. government, WuXi AppTec continues to expand its contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) services in its native China.
At its Hangzhou facility, the company has boosted its manufacturing capabilities with the installation of three new 5,000L single-use bioreactors, increasing total capacity to 23,000L, with hopes of achieving GMP certification later this year. CEO Dr. Chris Chen highlighted the milestone as pivotal in efficiently meeting client demands for flexible, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable production.
The industry is expected to see substantial growth in bioprocessing services for vaccines, antibodies, cell therapies and alike. The complexity of these medicines, which cannot be synthesized through traditional chemical processes, will create further demand for outsourced efficient, scalable, and cost-effective manufacturing solutions. According to a recent report by ResearchAndMarkets, the global biologics contract manufacturing market was valued at over $19 bn last year, and is projected to grow at 9% CAGR through to 2035 when it will be valued at ~$56 bn, reflecting the demand for modern medicines.
The following article originally appeared in European Pharmaceutical Review.
WuXi Biologics has successfully installed three new sets of 5,000L single-use bioreactors at its MFG20 drug substance manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, China.
Fitted in the facility’s second drug substance line, the contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) explained that this move enhances manufacturing capability at the site, by increasing capacity from 8,000L to 23,000L.
Single-use bioreactors enable “highly flexible and cost-effective manufacturing and are more environmentally sustainable with reduced contamination risk”, when compared with stainless steel bioreactors, WuXi Biologics stated.
Utilising the larger reactor means manufacturing efficiency is improved, by “lowering the number of production batches and decreases production cost by reducing equipment, labour, and material consumption”, the company explained.
The new single-use bioreactors at the Hangzhou facility are expected to complete good manufacturing practise (GMP) release later in 2024, the CRDMO confirmed.
“The addition of 5,000L single-use bioreactors is a major milestone in our company’s offerings, as we enhance capacity and capability to meet the needs of our clients,” Dr Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics commented.
This news follows a major production-related development for the CRDMO earlier this year. In January, WuXi Biologics successfully completed its inaugural manufacturing run at its drug substance facility MFG7 in Ireland.
The run combined four 4,000-litre single-use bioreactors, and in total resulted in the largest manufacturing scale for WuXi Biologics to date.
During the initial announcement, Dr Chen remarked that the milestone achieved “demonstrates that comparable Cost of Goods (COGS) can be achieved by leveraging more environmental social governance (ESG) friendly single-use technologies”.
WuXi Biologics highlighted that globally, it has “widely” adopted single-use technologies across its manufacturing network, with scales ranging “from 200L to 4,000L”.
For more, please find the original story source here.
