Virtual ground-breaking ceremony celebrates initiation of expansion to double cell culture capacity and add large scale fill/finish capabilities
HILLERØD, Denmark, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a world leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biologics, viral vaccines and viral vectors, held a virtual ground-breaking ceremony today to celebrate the start of its large scale cell culture expansion project. The major capital investment of 100 billion yen (928 million USD) from FUJIFILM Corporation was previously announced in June 2020.
The expansion will double the existing bulk drug substance production capacity with the addition of 6 x 20,000L bioreactors, bringing the total to 12 x 20,000-liter bioreactors. The new construction will also include a fully automated, cutting-edge fill/finish capability to support large-scale production of up to approximately 35 million units per annum. To support the expanded operations, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies will add 300 positions in Denmark by the end of 2023.
The expansion investment also includes a new packaging line designed to assemble multiple types of auto-injectors and automatic labelling; these capabilities will be operational in spring 2022. The fill/finish production line is expected to be operational by summer 2023. As the final step in the construction, the large scale cell bulk drug substance expansion is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
Today's event included messages from His Excellency Miyagawa Manabu, Ambassador of Japan in Denmark; Mr. Takatoshi Ishikawa, Senior Executive Vice President, General Manager of Bio CDMO Division, FUJIFILM Corporation, Ms. Kirsten Jensen, Mayor of Hillerød and Mr. Toshihisa Iida, President and Managing Director of Fujifilm in Europe.
"It was a delight to celebrate the commencement of this very important expansion," said Takatoshi Ishikawa, Senior Executive Vice President, General Manager of Bio CDMO Division, FUJIFILM Corporation. "Fujifilm has highlighted the CDMO business as a priority growth area, and is actively investing in technology to expand its manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demands of customers. Additionally, as Fujifilm's largest investment in Europe for Bio CDMO business, this new facility represents our commitment to growing our Bio CDMO offering in the region to better serve our customers."
"The expansion will be transformative, significantly expanding our ability to support current and future partners, infusing sustainability efforts into future operations, and further strengthening our leadership in biologic drug substance manufacturing. We are excited to see the site grow and to welcome 300 new employees," said Lars Petersen, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Denmark.
"I am very proud that Fujifilm has chosen to make such a significant investment in Hillerød. We are committed to foster a good business environment, and have always had a fruitful and good collaboration with Fujifilm, and I look forward to welcoming even more Fujifilm employees to our municipality," said Kirsten Jensen, Mayor of Hillerød.
About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies an industry-leading Biologics Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with locations in Teesside, UK, RTP, North Carolina, College Station, Texas and Hiller Hillerød, Denmark. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies has over thirty years of experience in the development and manufacturing of recombinant proteins, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, among other large molecules, viral products and medical countermeasures expressed in a wide array of microbial, mammalian, and host/virus systems. The company offers a comprehensive list of services from cell line development using its proprietary pAVEway microbial and Apollo cell line systems to process development, analytical development, clinical and FDA-approved commercial manufacturing. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is a partnership between FUJIFILM Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation. For more information, go to: www.fujifilmdiosynth.com
FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings cutting edge solutions to a broad range of global industries by leveraging its depth of knowledge and fundamental technologies developed in its relentless pursuit of innovation. Its proprietary core technologies contribute to the various fields including healthcare, graphic systems, highly functional materials, optical devices, digital imaging and document products. These products and services are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. For the year ended March 31, 2020, the company had global revenues of $21 billion, at an exchange rate of 109 yen to the dollar. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com
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