AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) recently announced that it has acquired a West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE: WST) plant in Tempe, Arizona. North Chicago, Illinois–based AbbVie said on Jan. 12 that it plans to hire roughly 200 employees at the site and invest more than $175 million to acquire, modernize, and fully integrate the facility into its manufacturing…
Varda raises $187M Series C for drug manufacturing in space
Varda Space Industries recently announced a $187 million fundraise, bringing the total amount of money raised to $329 million for the El Segundo, California–based startup. Natural Capital and Shrug Capital led the Series C round, with participation from Founders Fund, Peter Thiel, Khosla Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Lux Capital, and Also Capital. Varda Space Industries’ goal…
Hikma to spend another $1B on US manufacturing, R&D
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA recently announced that it will invest $1 billion by 2030 to further expand U.S. manufacturing and R&D. London-based Hikma has already invested more than $4 billion over the past 15 years in expanding its U.S. presence, which was first established in 1991. The new “America Leans on Hikma” phase, announced June 28,…
Fujifilm, Regeneron ink $3B U.S. manufacturing agreement
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a major contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has entered into a 10-year manufacturing supply agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, valued at over $3 billion. The deal has the Fujifilm subsidiary providing U.S.-based manufacturing for Regeneron, with planned expansions at Fujifilm’s large-scale biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The Holly Springs…
Purdue, Eli Lilly, Merck form new pharma manufacturing consortium
Purdue University, Eli Lilly and Co., and Merck & Co. have launched the Young Institute Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Consortium, a collaborative effort to pioneer advances in making medicines. Operating within Purdue’s William D. and Sherry L. Young Institute for Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals, consortium partners will focus on advancing pharmaceutical manufacturing, according to a Jan. 17 news…
Reckitt to make Mucinex in North Carolina
Reckitt Benckiser Group announced today that it is expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint by acquiring a 310,000 ft² pharmaceutical site in Wilson, North Carolina. The Slough, U.K.–based company said it will invest £155 million ($200 million) to establish a manufacturing facility in Wilson to produce Mucinex tablets and liquids to meet increased U.S. demand. Reckitt…
GE HealthCare to fully own Nihon Medi-Physics
GE HealthCare (Nasdaq:GEHC) announced today that it will acquire the remaining 50% stake in Nihon Medi-Physics, enabling it to fully own the Japanese radiopharmaceutical company. The purchase from Sumitomo Chemical is expected to close in early 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. GE HealthCare has already owned a…
Sanofi to invest €40 million to boost antibody production in France
Sanofi recently announced that it is investing €40 million in its Lyon Gerland bioproduction site as it seeks to bolster its position in the immunology space. The investment will support production in France of the transplant drug Thymoglubulin, including €25 million toward developing and manufacturing a second-generation version of the drug. The remaining €15 million…
How biometric ID is boosting security and efficiency in pharma manufacturing
A maker of pharma manufacturing workstations says wearable biometric ID products are solving a security and efficiency challenge. Traditionally, pharmaceutical manufacturers have used a complex patchwork of access points, workstations, and tools, according to Fremont, California–based Arista Corp. Think badges, passwords and more, with the potential for someone other than the intended operator to gain…
Otsuka partners with ICU Medical to enter U.S. IV products market
Otsuka Holdings will pay ICU Medical (Nasdaq: ICUI) an upfront payment of $200 million as part of a joint venture to enter the U.S. IV products market, which has been facing hurricane-related shortages this fall. The partnership — which involves ICU Medical providing commercial services for Otsuka’s Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory (OPF) subsidiary — also includes…