AGC Triples U.S. Biopharma Production Capacity

AGC Biologics has enhanced its production capacity of biopharmaceutical manufacturing services. The contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) plans to install an additional twelve 2,000L single-use animal cell bioreactors at their Seattle, WA site, as well as establish a brand new contract development and manufacturing facility for microbial manufacturing, a function that was previously only operated in Europe and Japan. 
 
This expansion will triple AGC’s biopharmaceutical production capacity in the U.S. while also ensuring seamless operation of microbial and animal cell-based biopharmaceutical CDMO activities across the Japan, Europe, and the U.S. regions. The total investment of this expansion is estimated to be about $90 million, with full-scale operations slated from July 2020.
 
Under its AGC plus management policy, the AGC Group has made a commitment to positioning life-sciences related business as one of its strategic initiatives, aiming at sales in the ¥100 billion yen range by 2025. AGC has developed manufacturing and sales bases in Europe and the U.S. through the acquisitions of Biomeva in 2016 and CMC Biologics in 2017. Since then, the company has consolidated the operations under the AGC Biologics brand and has been making aggressive investments in equipment and facilities at its locations across Japan, Europe, and the U.S.
 
Gustavo Mahler, chief executive officer, AGC Biologics, said, “We expect significant growth in demand during the coming years. By maximizing synergies among our operations, AGC will continue to pursue its goal of being a leading company that supports pharmaceutical companies, medical patients, and all of society.”