Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products, announced that it plans to invest $30 million (€27 million) at its facility in Limoges, France, to create a European center of excellence for clinical biologics formulation development and drug product fill-finish services. The project is being supported by the Prefecture of Haute-Vienne, the Metropolitan Area of Limoges, the Limoges Haute-Vienne Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Regional Council of Nouvelle Aquitaine with a grant of €1.3 million.
With over 40 years of experience and expertise in supplying life-saving injectable medicines, and employing over 170 staff, the Limoges site will be fully modernized to handle large molecule programs, with additional capacity for small molecule dosage form development. The facility will work closely with Catalent’s other biologics sites in Anagni, Italy, Brussels, Belgium, Bloomington, Indiana and Madison, Wisconsin, to provide integrated clinical development and commercial manufacturing solutions.
The modernization of the 180,000 square-foot facility will include the installation of an Optima high-speed flexible line capable of filling vials, syringes or cartridges under barrier isolator technology, as well as enhancements to its analytical and quality control laboratories, which will commence in September 2020, with completion anticipated in 2022. Catalent also plans to gradually hire approximately 80 additional employees to support the new center of excellence and its updated capabilities.
Mario Gargiulo, Region President, Catalent Biologics Europe commented, “The European pharmaceutical market is thriving, and France is currently one of the top five producers in Europe. Our new center of excellence in Limoges will strengthen Catalent Biologics’ global and European capacities and our ability to bring new biologic treatments to market, faster.” He added, “We are grateful to the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine for its support in making this exciting project possible.”
Alain Rousset, President of Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine, added, “From the outset, we supported this project to diversify Catalent’s activities in Limoges. This world leader in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing is going to position the site in markets with higher added value. It is a great example of technological reconquest made possible thanks to the mobilization of the men and women in the company and the ecosystem of innovation that we are developing and encouraging in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. This project contributes to the development of our industrial capacities in the health sector.”
About Catalent Biologics
Catalent Biologics is a global leader in development, manufacturing and analytical services for new biological entities, cell and gene therapies, biosimilars, sterile injectables, and antibody-drug conjugates. With over 20 years of proven expertise, Catalent Biologics has worked with 600+ mAbs and 80+ proteins, produced 13 biopharmaceutical drugs using GPEx® cell line development technology, and manufactured 35+ commercially approved products. Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy, a unit of Catalent Biologics, is a full-service partner for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors and CAR-T immunotherapies, with deep experience in viral vector scale-up and production. Catalent recently acquired MaSTherCell, adding expertise in autologous and allogeneic cell therapy development and manufacturing. Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy has produced 100+ cGMP batches across 70+ clinical and commercial programs.
