DSM Biologics is a business unit of DSM Pharmaceutical Products (DPP), a global business providing cGMP custom manufacturing services across all facets of the pharmaceutical industry including small molecule API and intermediates manufacturing, fill/finish of parenteral and solid dosage forms, and large molecule drug substance production and associated technologies.
The over 70,000 square foot facility will offer mammalian process development and cGMP clinical and commercial manufacturing services. DSM Biologics will employ its global expertise and portfolio of proprietary technologies to offer Australia and clients from all over the world, contract manufacturing services.
However, the Australian Governments (Queensland State Government and the Commonwealth of Australia) will provide the full financial funding for the facility which is part of the Queensland 10 year Biotechnology Strategic Plan.
DSM will provide no capital but will provide technological expertise to design and set up the facilities and will employ its proprietary technologies in its operation.
The new biologics manufacturing facility is anticipated to be commissioned and operational in 2013. The facility is being built in Brisbane within the Queensland new Translational Research Institute, a one-stop-shop for discovery, production, clinical testing and manufacturing of new biopharmaceuticals.
BioPharmaceuticals Australia (BPA) is responsible for the overall initiative on behalf of the Queensland Government and has selected DSM Biologics to operate the facility.
David Hughes, CEO of Biopharmaceutical Australia, said: “Australian biopharmaceutical developers will be able to locally manufacture new drug candidates to international standards in preclinical, clinical and commercial phases. This is an important step for our industry.”
Karen King, president of DSM Biologics, said: “We are extremely honored to be selected by and partnering with the Australian Governments, in particular with the Queensland State and the Commonwealth Governments to bring Australia its first major cGMP mammalian contract manufacturing organisation (CMO).
“This offering will be an important continuation and expansion of the services we currently provide out of our facility in Groningen, The Netherlands. Clients will have the added advantage of being able to choose between standard technology processes or Royal DSM’s proprietary XD and DSP optimisation technologies.
“The services offered at the site will support all mammalian cell lines and process technologies including standard CHO-based systems and the PER C6 cell-line technology, to which DSM has co-exclusive licensing rights for proteins and mAbs, together with the Dutch biotech company Crucell.”
Bob Hartmayer, CEO of DPP said: “We see the addition of the Brisbane facility as an important element in our DPP strategy. We are particularly pleased to be developing and operating the facility in partnership with the Australian Governments (in particular the Queensland State and the Commonwealth Governments).”