Fujifilm stated that it is establishing the new manufacturing site to boost the growth of its biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing business (CDMO).
The company’s subsidiary Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies will manage the new large-scale cell culture production site. Fujifilm Diosynth has development and manufacturing facilities across the US, the UK and Denmark.
The new site will involve in the large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substance with 8 x 20,000L bioreactors (physical volume). It will also be provided with the flexibility to expand and add a further 24 x 20,000L bioreactors based on market demand.
Fujifilm’s new facility will also offer commercial scale, automated fill-finish and assembly, packaging and labelling services, in addition to involving in drug substance manufacturing.
The new facility, which is being constructed within the vicinity of the company’s existing site, is expected to commence operations in spring 2025.
Fujifilm president Kenji Sukeno said: “The United States is the world’s biggest market for biopharmaceuticals. I am pleased that through this large investment in the U.S.A we are able to support the development and manufacturing of new drugs that can help fulfil unmet medical needs.
“Fujifilm will continue to promote human health and support the progress of the healthcare industry by using our cutting-edge technology and advanced facilities to provide a stable supply of high-quality biopharmaceuticals.”
In June 2020, Fujifilm announced an investment of $928m in Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ Hillerød site in Denmark to double its large-scale cell culture manufacturing capacity, in addition to adding commercial-scale drug product production capabilities.
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies CEO Martin Meeson said: “We are leveraging our strengths in process development and manufacturing for a wide range of biopharmaceuticals such as antibodies, recombinant proteins, gene therapies and vaccines.”