Smart factory technology

CellProthera announced a deal with Shonan Kamakura General Hospital (SKGH) to transfer technology to enable cell therapy manufacturing for clinical trials. The memorandum of understanding allows for GMP manufacturing of CD34+ endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) for autologous therapy clinical trials. Takayuki Asahara of SKGH intends to adopt CellProthera’s StemXpand platform for clinical trials starting next…

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) announced that it plans to invest $3 billion in the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. In April, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly acquired the plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, from sterile manufacturer Nexus. The company expects its investment to extend its global parenteral (injectable) product manufacturing network. It aims to…

GBI Biomanufacturing announced today that it expanded its drug product (DP) services to include automated sterile fill and finish capabilities. Plantation, Florida–based GBI says it can support clients from clinical trials to commercial launch, both for drug products and drug substances. All of this can take place at its Florida plant, delivering advanced and flexible…

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…

Cellular Origins and Fresenius Kabi announced today that they signed a development agreement over cell and gene therapies (CGTs). The agreement leverages both companies’ expertise in CGTs. They aim to digitally and physically integrate Fresenius Kabi’s suite of cell therapy processing technologies with Cellular Origins’ CGT robotic manufacturing platform, Constellation. With this integration, the companies…

Nipro PharmaPackaging announced today that it launched new D2F (direct-to-fill) glass vials powered by Stevanato Group technology. The vials feature Stevanato’s EZ-fill technology to offer a high-quality, ready-to-use (RTU) solution. Nipro designed the vials to meet the rigorous standards and increasing requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. D2F vials are washed, depyrogenated, packaged in nest and…

PCI Pharma Services announced that it’s investing more than $365 million in infrastructure to support assembly and packaging efforts. The investment supports the clinical- and commercial-scale final assembly and packaging of drug-device combination products utilizing advanced drug delivery systems, with an emphasis on injectable formats. PCI Pharma plans to put its investment toward new and…

Wheeler Bio announced today that it expanded its capabilities through the licensing of ATUM’s miFuc platform. ATUM designed miFuc for the expression of recombinant proteins containing afucosylated glycans. The technology supports the development of antibodies with a significant reduction in fucosylation without affecting product titer, cellular growth rates or incurring global glycan liabilities. ATUM’s proprietary…

Pharma giants Sanofi and Novartis came in at No. 7 and 17, respectively, in Time magazine’s “Most Sustainable Companies of 2024” rankings. Overall, nearly 40 of the 500 companies on the list fell under the category of Chemicals, Drugs & Biotechnology. Other large pharma companies making it into the top half of the 500 included…

When it comes to drug development and manufacturing, operational excellence (OpEx) is critical for success at all levels. It can help establish a culture of continuous improvement and innovation while supporting data quality, compliance, customer satisfaction, and more. It can even impact external perceptions of the company and confidence in the strength of the business.…