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Symbiosis Secures 130+ Jobs with New Manufacturing Facility Acquisition

Symbiosis acquires 20,000 sq/ft facility to increase high-tech manufacturing capabilities, financed by £1.2m from Barclays Corporate Bank PLC. The additional space will double the total footprint of the company across the four facilities that it will operate from, increasing manufacturing capacity by 50% in the short-term. As part of a wider strategic growth initiative, this move will strengthen the current GMP manufacturing service offering and further accelerate the delivery of sterile injectable drug products to clients and ultimately their patients. The new manufacturing facility also includes plans for two new cleanroom-based production lines to strengthen the companies ability to support its biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients worldwide and the new medicines and therapies being developed. The new manufacturing capacity in the Bruce Building facility will safeguard over 130 skilled life sciences jobs at Symbiosis and generate an additional 50 new jobs, tapping into Scotland’s impressive life sciences talent pool. The facility fit-out project will be implemented over a three-year period with financial support provided by Barclays Bank PLC for the purchase of the building. Symbiosis CEO Colin MacKay commented: “By investing £1.75m ($2.25m) in the purchase of a 20,000sq/ft building and subsequently equipping it to provide additional world-class sterile manufacturing capacity for our existing and future clients globally represents the next major strategic chapter in the successful and consistently fast-growing trajectory of Symbiosis. Stuart McAleese, Relationship Director for Scotland Mid Corporate, Barclays UK Corporate Bank commented: “We are delighted to be Symbiosis’ banking partner for the purchase of the Bruce Building. Symbiosis is a great example of an innovative manufacturing business that is embracing new market leading technology as part of expansion plans. We’re proud to support them with lending to continue their growth, as they continue to scale, evolve and expand their global business capabilities even further.” Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for Stirling, the wider region and Scotland. “Symbiosis’ significant investment at their site will safeguard and create skilled jobs in Stirling’s thriving life sciences and manufacturing sector. It’s an endorsement of Stirling’s world-class talent, research skills and innovation, and our location at the heart of one of Europe’s largest and most well-connected biotech clusters.

Piramal Pharma Unveils $80M Expansion for Sterile Injectables Facility, Creating New Jobs

Piramal Pharma Solutions (PPS), a leading global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and part of Piramal Pharma Ltd. has unveiled an $80M investment plan to expand its Lexington, Kentucky facility. The site specializes in sterile compounding, liquid filling, and lyophilization for sterile injectable drug products, playing a vital role in Piramal Pharma Solutions integrated antibody-drug conjugate development and manufacturing program, ADCelerate™. The investment, financed by bank loans and internal accruals, aims to enhance the site’s existing capacity and capabilities to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market. With this expansion, Piramal Pharma will strengthen its position as an efficient and reliable global partner for biologic manufacturing, leveraging deep scientific expertise and extensive experience managing complex technical projects.The expansion will equip the Lexington site with an additional 24,000 square feet of manufacturing space, a new laboratory, and state-of-the-art machinery to scale clients’ products effectively. Key additions include a new filling line, two commercial-size lyophilizers, a special capping machine, and an external vial washer. Currently, the Lexington site can manufacture 104 product batches per year (utilization at peak levels). Upon completion of the expansion in Q1 of 2027, this capacity will increase to over 240 annual batches. “This expansion represents a strategic investment in the future of Piramal Pharma Ltd. Filling the commercial manufacturing gap enables the Lexington site to access the rapidly expanding injectables market and establish itself as a key player in the segment,” said Nandini Piramal, Chairperson, Piramal Pharma Ltd. “The injectables market has steadily increased in recent years and there is currently insufficient supply. We are committed to adapting to meet this rising demand,” said Peter DeYoung, Chief Executive Officer, Global Pharma. “This expansion will significantly enhance the capacity and capabilities of our Lexington facility, positioning Piramal Pharma as a comprehensive partner across the entire product life cycle and enabling us to provide treatment solutions to more patients.” The investment not only fuels Piramal Pharma’s growth but also strengthens the local economy. The expansion will create over 40 full-time jobs, contributing to the area’s economic development andfostering a diverse, vibrant workforce. Bob Quick, President and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc., added, “Piramal Pharma Solutions’ decision to expand its Lexington operations is a significant step forward for our region’s economic growth. This investment not only demonstrates Piramal Pharma’s confidence in our community and workforce but also underscores Lexington’s position as a prime location for innovative companies to grow and thrive. We look forward to the positive impact this expansion will have on our local economy and the new opportunities it will create for our residents.”

Octagos Health Unveils Strategic Investments with Plans to Double Workforce in Two Years

Octagos Health, the leader in AI-powered remote cardiac monitoring, announced significant advancements in product integration, enhanced AI functionality, and strategic talent investments. Following its recent $43 million Series B funding, the company is expanding its data integration capabilities to include a broader range of devices – including wearables, heart failure monitoring, and remote patient monitoring (RPM). Octagos Health is also advancing its AI technology to deliver faster, more precise predictive analytics. Additionally, the company is bolstering its leadership team with the recent appointment of Chris Delgado as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and plans for future talent growth across the company. Octagos Health is expanding the breadth of its platform, incorporating data from an ever-wider range of devices. These include wearables, heart failure monitoring, and remote patient monitoring systems, all aimed at reducing clinical workloads and enhancing patient care. "We're meeting the growing data demands in healthcare by seamlessly integrating a more diverse range of devices into our platform," said Dr. Shanti Bansal, CEO of Octagos Health. "Clinicians are dealing with an increasing influx of patient data, and our platform simplifies this process by streamlining and automating the integration of various devices into a single, unified system." Deeper AI Capabilities: Speed, Accuracy, and Predictive Analytics In addition to product expansion, Octagos Health continues to add depth to the capabilities of its AI-driven cardiac monitoring solution. New enhancements focus on predictive analytics and AI-driven insights, enabling clinicians to make faster, more accurate decisions. "Predictive capabilities are the future of healthcare," said Dr. Bansal. "With our advanced Atlas AI, we provide real-time insights that ease the burden on clinicians and improve patient outcomes. Combined with data-driven tools to optimize clinic operations and patient care, we're creating a next-generation healthcare system." Strategic Human Capital Investment Complementing its technological advancements, Octagos Health is making significant strides in growing its team. The addition of Chris Delgado as CCO underscores the company's commitment to expanding its commercial capabilities. Delgado brings extensive experience scaling teams to maximize growth potential and will lead the company's business development efforts, focusing on expanding into new markets and strengthening partnerships. "Chris' appointment is the first step in our broader human capital strategy. Over the next two years, we plan to more than double our workforce, focusing on expanding sales, enhancing customer service, and strengthening AI engineering talent," said Harpreet Marwaha, CFO of Octagos Health. "This strategic growth reflects our commitment to AI, automation, and delivering faster, higher-quality reports, while maintaining industry-leading gross margins and maximizing ROI for our customers."

Castle Biosciences Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony at Site of New Corporate Headquarters

Castle Biosciences, Inc a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, announced that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the recent construction start of its new corporate campus and office building. The ceremony will take place on Oct. 22, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Central time at the project site, located at 1500 West Parkwood Avenue in Friendswood, Texas. Local, state and national elected officials are expected to attend. “We are thrilled to have broken ground on our new corporate headquarters in Friendswood, a place we have proudly called home since our inception in 2008,” said Derek Maetzold, president and chief executive officer of Castle Biosciences. “The new, state-of-the-art facility reflects our commitment to our people and the community and is designed to foster a collaborative environment that nurtures our employees, facilitates our future growth and supports our mission of improving patient care.” “It was always important to Castle that we design the new headquarters with an employee-centric focus,” said Jason Tramonte, Jr., AIA, IIDA, architect and owner of Tramonte Design Studio, the architecture and interior design firm on the project. “Each detail — from the big-picture campus plan down to the individual office spaces — was carefully planned to foster an environment conducive to a myriad of work styles, whether collaborative or private, indoor or outdoor, or any combination thereof.”

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Opens State-of-the-Art Global Manufacturing Hub in Finland

Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced the opening of a state-of-the-art global manufacturing hub in Finland for the drug substance of its intravesical non-replicating gene therapy Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg). This represents a significant milestone in Ferring’s capabilities and capacity to meet the current and expected growth in demand for this gene therapy for people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg) is approved in the U.S. for adult patients with high-risk Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumours. “In January this year, we announced full commercial availability of Adstiladrin in the U.S. We have now embarked on a broad programme of clinical research to enlarge the body of evidence for Adstiladrin and plan for regulatory submissions in other global markets. Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in ensuring stable and sustainable global supply of Adstiladrin to meet the anticipated growth in demand,” said Bipin Dalmia, Global Head, Uro-Oncology and Urology Franchise, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Armin Metzger, Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Operations Officer, Ferring Pharmaceuticals added, “The continued investment and expansion of our gene therapy manufacturing infrastructure reflects Ferring’s strong commitment to deliver end-to-end solutions for even the most highly complex manufacturing challenges as part of our mission to fulfil the unmet clinical needs for people with bladder cancer.” According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, bladder cancer is now the ninth most diagnosed cancer worldwide, previously ranked tenth. This rising global incidence underscores the necessity to expand the supply of innovative treatments for this disease. In addition to this European investment in drug substance, Ferring has further strengthened and diversified its nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg supply chain and is also nearing completion of a new manufacturing facility for drug product at Ferring’s U.S. campus in Parsippany, New Jersey. The bolstering of Ferring’s gene therapy manufacturing capabilities and footprint reinforces its commitment to ensuring the future supply of this therapy for patients. Located in Kuopio, Finland, the new European manufacturing site features a cutting-edge manufacturing suite, fully integrated with modern technology to produce adenovirus vector-based gene therapy drug substance in large quantities. The 25,000 square metre facility features renewable energy solutions such as waste heat recovery with heat pumps and solar energy, complementing Ferring’s commitment to protect the environment by reducing its negative impact on the planet.

Orbis Medicines to Expand with New R&D Site, Hiring Experienced Technical Professionals

Orbis Medicines, a leader in oral macrocycle drug discovery, today announced a significant expansion of its operations and capabilities by establishing itself at Symbion’s new biotech hub in Fuglebakken, Copenhagen. Symbion is Denmark’s largest start-up ecosystem. The site will host further R&D personnel and executive team members, complementing Orbis’ existing location in Lausanne, Switzerland. This rapid growth is part of the company’s strategic plan to deepen its leadership in oral macrocycle drug discovery and accelerate development of a portfolio of first-in-class medicines. The location will provide Orbis with access to world-leading peptide chemistry & discovery expertise fostered by multinational pharma and biotech companies headquartered in Copenhagen. As a company incorporating AI/machine learning into its platform, Orbis will also benefit from the recently announced Danish Centre for AI Innovation which will provide access to a world-class supercomputer, Gefion. “Orbis is proud to continue expanding its footprint and team with world-class scientific talent as we work on a new generation of oral macrocycle candidates,” said Morten Døssing, Executive Chair of the Orbis Board and Partner at Novo Holdings. “Copenhagen is renowned for its amenities and high standard of living, and as a prior Novo Nordisk HQ, the Fuglebakken location already has a rich history of innovation appropriate for the next phase of our growth.” Following its recent seed financing provided by major life sciences investors Novo Holdings and Forbion, Orbis has been investing in its field-leading oral macrocycle design and development platform, Gen. The Orbis pipeline initially includes programs against targets validated by blockbuster biologic drugs, with the goal of providing oral alternatives that will enable the treatment of many more patients. Macrocycles are a large and diverse family of compounds with highly desirable therapeutic properties, including structural flexibility that gives them the potential to address a very wide range of diseases. Cycles are systematically designed by the automated synthesis and testing platform, nGen, to be orally bioavailable and membrane permeable, solving decades-long challenges in macrocycle drug design. The new Orbis site will hire more than 15 experienced technical professionals to advance activities in platform chemistry, screening biology, computational chemistry (leveraging AI/machine learning and generative design), translational biology, advanced chemistry & macrocycle design, and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) research. Global recruitment for experienced drug development executives is underway

Lonza Completes Acquisition of Large-Scale Biologics Site in Vacaville (US) from Roche

Lonza, one of the world’s largest healthcare development and manufacturing organizations, announced it has completed its acquisition of the Genentech large-scale biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California (US) from Roche for USD 1.2 billion. The Vacaville facility significantly extends Lonza’s capacity for mammalian manufacturing in the US, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market. It creates a significant West Coast commercial manufacturing presence close to San Francisco’s pharma and biotech hub, complementing Lonza’s existing East Coast manufacturing site in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as its international network across Europe and Asia Pacific. With a total bioreactor capacity of around 330,000 liters, the Vacaville site is one of the largest biologics manufacturing facilities in the world. This acquisition significantly extends manufacturing capacity for late-stage clinical and commercial products, and new molecules on the path to commercialization within the Lonza network. The site joins the Mammalian business unit within Lonza’s Biologics division, with more than 750 Vacaville colleagues now being employed directly by Lonza. Wolfgang Wienand, CEO, Lonza, commented: “The successful acquisition of the Vacaville site marks a major milestone for Lonza, and for our commitment to deliver long-term value for our customers and shareholders. As the Vacaville site joins our Biologics division, we look forward to bringing new customer projects into the facility to meet sustained demand for commercial biologics manufacturing across our business. I am also delighted to welcome more than 750 highly skilled Vacaville colleagues into our global team, as they begin a new chapter with Lonza.” The acquisition of the large-scale mammalian manufacturing site complements Lonza’s ongoing investments in large-scale bioconjugation in Visp (CH) and drug product manufacturing in Stein (CH), supporting its ability to meet demand for the large-scale, end-to-end manufacturing of complex biologics. Lonza plans to invest approximately CHF 500 million to further upgrade the facility and add capabilities to meet demand for the next generation of mammalian biologics therapies.

Eli Lilly Announces $4.5 Billion Investment in New Medicine Foundry, Creating 400 Jobs

Eli Lilly and Company announced a $4.5 billion investment to create the Lilly Medicine Foundry, a new center for advanced manufacturing and drug development. This unique facility will give Lilly the ability to research new ways of producing medicines, while also scaling up manufacturing of medicines for clinical trials. The first-ever facility of its kind, combining research and manufacturing in a single location, the Medicine Foundry will be located in Indiana's LEAP Research and Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana, and will expand the company's investment there to more than $13 billion. "As we accelerate our work to discover new medicines for the toughest diseases, we're continuing to invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure to support our growing pipeline," said David A. Ricks, Lilly's chair and CEO. "In addition to supplying high-quality medicine for our clinical studies, this new complex will further strengthen our process development and scale up our manufacturing capabilities to speed delivery of next-generation medicines to patients around the world." The Medicine Foundry will allow Lilly to further develop innovative solutions to optimize manufacturing processes and increase capacity for clinical trial medicines, while also reducing costs and environmental impact. The flexible design of this new facility will enable production of various molecular therapies, including drug substances for small molecules, biologics and nucleic acid therapies. New technologies developed at the Medicine Foundry will be transferred to Lilly's other manufacturing sites for full-scale production. The site's location in LEAP will support close collaboration with Lilly Research Laboratories' teams in Indianapolis and Lilly's manufacturing sites in Lebanon. The State of Indiana will support the new site with infrastructure improvements for roads, water, electricity and other utilities. The state will also offer economic incentives tied to Lilly's investment and employment goals in Lebanon. Once fully operational, the Medicine Foundry is expected to add 400 full-time jobs for highly skilled workers including engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians. "Lilly's continued investment in Indiana solidifies our state's role as a hub for cutting-edge science and technology," said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. "For nearly 150 years, Lilly has been committed to growing its roots and reach in Indiana, cultivating local talent, and driving scientific advancements that benefit patients around the world. I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities Lilly's Medicine Foundry will bring to communities throughout our great state." "Lilly's increased investment in Indiana is creating tremendous new career opportunities for Hoosiers," said Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg. "The LEAP district in Lebanon is quickly becoming an international destination, with $18 billion in committed capital investment on 2,300 acres since its launch in 2022. LEAP and the Hardtech Corridor are attracting global leaders, talent and innovation to Indiana."

Aspen Neuroscience Announces Expansion of Autologous Cell Therapy Manufacturing

Aspen Neuroscience, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing personalized (autologous) cell therapies, announced the expansion of its San Diego footprint near its headquarters in Torrey Pines, with a new 22,000 square foot facility for GMP manufacturing of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell therapies. This facility was designed and built for GMP manufacture and testing of Aspen's ANPD001 drug product, which is an iPSC-derived cell therapy for Parkinson's Disease (PD). Aspen will use the cells in its ASPIRO study. In addition to gaining investigational new drug (IND) clearance from FDA and starting its first-in-human clinical trial, the company has developed a robust multi-organizational strategy for further industrialization of autologous cell therapy manufacturing; and to automate, close processes and increase throughput. The new facility is certified by the Food and Drug Branch (FDB) of the California Department of Public Health. The Aspen team is currently producing its patient-specific clinical drug product using in-house manufacturing and Quality Control (QC). The project comprises a 14,000 sq ft facility with 3,000 sq ft of controlled manufacturing space, including three ISO qualified manufacturing suites, QC labs, warehouse, and offices; as well as an additional 8,000 sq ft expansion space available for future manufacturing suites, additional process automation and QC labs. This adds to the existing and certified 500 sq ft of controlled manufacturing space used for processing of patient skin biopsies, and laboratory space for research and process development at company headquarters. "We are proud to have expanded in San Diego, given that ANPD001 was originally developed here. This new site will help accelerate the manufacture of patient-specific cell lines for our ASPIRO trial patients in California and across the U.S.," said Damien McDevitt, PhD, president and CEO of Aspen Neuroscience. "We continue to advance the entire cell therapy field with this new treatment modality." Aspen's autologous manufacturing platform starts with a small sample of the patient's own skin cells, which are then reprogrammed to iPSCs unique to each patient, before differentiation into their final cell type for therapeutic delivery. For ANPD001, the patient's iPSCs are converted into personalized dopaminergic neuronal precursor cells (DANPCs) for the treatment of PD. Before implantation, the cells are evaluated at several stages of the manufacturing process by Aspen's proprietary genomic tests and Machine Learning-based bioinformatics tools to evaluate cell quality. "Aspen is leading the field when it comes to pluripotent stem cell-derived cell therapies," said Kim Raineri, Chief Technology Officer. "Our goal is 'scaling out, not up.' We are innovating to produce small quantities of cells specific to the patient, for many patients in parallel."

Sanyou Opens New Facility, Pioneering Innovation in Bio Drugs and Talent Acquisition

Sanyou Bio recently celebrated a prestigious move into its new 10,000-square-meter R&D building at Shanghai headquarters. This is not just a change in physical location, but a qualitative leap in the company infrastructure. It marks a solid step forward for Sanyou Bio to accelerate the development of innovative biologics and advance its mission to serve the global biopharmaceutical industry. As the core of Sanyou Bio's global strategy, the Shanghai headquarters integrates both an operational center with a high-level R&D hub. It will lay a solid foundation for attracting top talents, absorbing cutting-edge technology, and expanding into international markets, opening a new chapter in global development. The launch of the new 10,000-square-meter R&D building marks another significant leap in the development of Sanyou Bio. It symbolizes a comprehensive upgrade in the company infrastructure, including core technology, base construction, hardware facilities, R&D strength, and qualification system. This leap also provides strong support for accelerating Sanyou Bio's globalization strategy and deepening international collaboration and exchange. Sanyou Bio has established multiple overseas R&D offices or business hubs in global biopharmaceutical innovation centers such as Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego in the United States, and London in the United Kingdom. These hubs serve not only as bridges for close collaboration with international clients and suppliers, but also as key windows for the company to absorb cutting-edge global technologies and expand international market presence.