EMD Millipore announced that the company has entered into an alliance with Turgut Ilaç and will provide their Provantage® End-to-End services for the development and manufacturing of biologics.
Under this multi-year agreement with Turgut Ilaç, EMD Millipore will provide process development, equipment for a pilot facility, cGMP manufacturing, facility design, and ultimately, technology transfer of the manufacturing process to Turgut’s facility for commercial production. Use of an identical template in both pilot and commercial scale facilitates technology transfer.
Phase one of the agreement will focus on monoclonal antibody biosimilars for non-small cell lung carcinoma and rheumatoid arthritis, the first molecules of Turgut’s biosimilar pipeline that will be supported by EMD Millipore under this strategic relationship. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Biosimilars represent an important new therapeutic option and many biopharmaceutical companies around the world are investing in their development and manufacture,” said Udit Batra, president and CEO, EMD Millipore. “We are excited to work with Turgut Ilaç, leveraging our end-to-end offering to help create and optimize processes and manufacturing facilities for these molecules. We look forward to helping them extend their legacy into the field of biologics and enable them to continue providing important benefits to patients in Turkey and surrounding markets.”
“Turgut Ilaç was one of the founding companies of the pharmaceutical sector in Turkey and one of the first to develop generics,” said Kaya Turgut, founder and chairman of the board, Turgut Ilaç. “Our business model has now evolved to focus on development and manufacture of industry leading biosimilars. To support this initiative, we sought a provider with strong scientific knowledge and expertise that could provide turnkey support encompassing everything from process development to commercial production. With this relationship, we gain access to expertise and capabilities that will not only allow us to establish robust processes, but make the transfer of those processes from pilot scale to commercial facilities much easier and faster.”
