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…

Integrated pump controllers aid with operation of quaternary diaphragm pumps While large-scale manufacturing of biopharmaceutical drugs is often fully automated, process development and small-scale manufacturing often still require manual interaction and control steps. This demands continuous monitoring by operators and sometimes results in a lack of consistency in the process. Achieving a higher level of…

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…