Facility

Agenus (Lexington, Mass.) has purchased 120 acres in the California Biomanufacturing Center located in Vacaville near Sacramento. Agenus specializes in immuno-oncology products, which span checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines and adjuvants. Agenus purchased the parcels from A.G. Spanos, a housing developer. Vacaville is aiming to spur the growth of its biotech industry. Currently, the largest…

San Sebastián, Spain–headquartered Viralgen, has opened a new factory in Basque Country in northern Spain. The company focuses on manufacturing adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, which are used in gene therapy and some vaccines. Since 2018, Viralgen has offered AAV manufacturing for customers working in preclinical through Phase 2 development programs. The company has licensed its…

Woodstock, Ill.–based Woodstock Sterile Solutions has installed its first chief financial officer, Courtney Sanen. The blow-fill-seal contract development and manufacturing organization continues to build out its executive roster, hiring its first chief commercial officer, Bill Hartzel, in April. Hartzel was a former executive at Catalent Pharma Solutions. “Woodstock Sterile Solutions is poised for growth over…

The robotics firm Wyzo (Ecublens, Switzerland) has launched what it deems the world’s first pick-and-place sidebot. Supporting pharmaceutical production line applications, the Wyzo robot can work side-by-side with humans without traditional protective barriers. The robot also supports up to 80 picks per minute. The Wyzo is also compatible with standard grippers. The company says that…

The chemicals and materials specialist Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) has acquired RIM Bio, a China-based manufacturer of single-use bioprocess bags and assemblies for biopharmaceutical applications. The acquisition gives Avantor its first single-use production facility in Asia and doubles its global single-use cleanroom space. Avantor also has single-use manufacturing facilities in the Americas and Europe.  The RIM Bio…

Industrial equipment provider Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR) has launched its MSG Turbo-Air NX5000 centrifugal compressor. The company says the compressor provides industry-leading efficiency at a relatively low cost of ownership and that it offers 5% better energy efficiency than legacy systems. The compressed air system is rated for powers from 600 to 4,200 kW (800–5,650…

In an SEC filing, Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY.N) revealed that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice connected to a manufacturing site in New Jersey that produces bamlanivimab, one of two COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies it produces. The plant also produces the blockbuster Trulicity and cancer drugs. Lilly did not state which types…

Johnson & Johnson will cut COVID-19 vaccine shipments by 86% in the coming week, according to CDC projections. The week of April 5, the company shipped nearly 5 million doses. Next week, that figure could fall to approximately 700,000.  The company anticipates that it can eventually deliver up to 8 million doses weekly, assuming FDA authorizes…

A combination of digital tools, improved production equipment, and advanced instrumentation helped COVID-19 vaccines to roll out in record time. Ben Arriola and Zach Blum, Emerson There is little doubt that researchers will study the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects from countless angles in the decades to come. Few events in modern times have had…

The pharmaceutical industry is warming to the concept of smart manufacturing — and predictive maintenance in particular. The reason for that trend is partly financial. A single hour of downtime can potentially cost millions of dollars in lost productivity, and predictive maintenance promises to make maintenance more efficient and effective. One traditional barrier to predictive…