Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY) plans to build two new factories in Indiana. The plants will bolster its supply of active ingredients and new therapeutic modalities. Both will be based in the LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District in Boone County, Indiana. The proposal could ultimately create as many as 500 new jobs. The…
How Target Value Delivery can help keep pharma construction projects on track
New plant construction in the pharmaceutical industry frequently exceeds the allocated budget and runs over the expected time, contributing to the industry’s challenge to increase drug output over the past decade. Consulting firm Turner & Townsend estimates that some 70% of pharma construction projects miss their original budget by about 15%. Though the pandemic’s impact on…
Emergent hid quality problems from FDA, House report concludes
A new congressional report concluded that Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) attempted to hide evidence related to quality problems before informing the FDA that 15 million COVID-19 vaccines were contaminated. Prepared for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and James E. Clyburn (D-SC), the report from the House and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis scrutinizes the quality controls in…
How low code platforms can transform the COTS product development in pharma
The world of application development is changing, and it’s changing fast. Traditionally, embarking on the app development journey meant hiring a team of developers to write every single line of code or settling for limitations imposed by commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. However, today more and more pharma companies are opting for a faster, easier and…
Why Wake County, North Carolina is gaining ground as a biotech hub
Wake County in North Carolina is actively working to recruit life sciences companies. Those efforts are proving successful. Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN) recently broke ground on a $550 million biomanufacturing plant in Holly Springs, a town of about 41,000 in the county. The company anticipates that the facility will be operational in 2025. In October, Fujifilm Diosynth…
How to improve quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry
The pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5-8% for the next three years. In just the past five years, a range of new technologies has been implemented to improve healthcare delivery, analytics and drug production. However, with the lingering challenges of COVID-19, the need for creative solutions has become more…
A closer look at Honeywell’s and Walvax Biotech’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine plant partnership
Walvax (SHE: 300142) recently formed a strategic collaboration with Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) that led to the construction of China’s first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine production plant. The company has been working since 2017 to become a leading vaccine R&D company, recounted Shawn Opatka, vice president, life sciences, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Their goals accelerated the construction of…
Novartis partners with Carisma Therapeutics on manufacturing HER2-targeted CAR-M cell therapy
Novartis (NYSE:NVS) has inked a deal with the biopharma Carisma Therapeutics focused on the production of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor macrophages (CAR-M) to potentially treat solid tumors. Carisma is headquartered in Philadelphia. As part of the deal, Carisma will shift manufacturing to a Novartis cell therapy site in Morris…
CRB names new general counsel
Kansas City, Missouri–based CRB has appointed Courtney Holt as general counsel. The company provides engineering, construction, consulting and architecture services to the life sciences and food and beverage industries. Holt will replace Jim Scott, who will retire later this year. Holt first began working for CRB in 2018 as assistant general counsel. In her role…
Asymchem scoops up Snapdragon Chemistry
The CDMO Asymchem Laboratories (Tianjin, China) Co., Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire Snapdragon Chemistry, a US-based chemical technology company. Asymchem will pay $57.94 million to acquire Snapdragon, which focuses on early-stage chemical process development services for the pharma and fine chemicals industries. “We believe continuous flow manufacturing is a revolutionary technology and…