Drug Substance Development and Manufacturing
In response to customer demand, we continued to invest in our offering by expanding manufacturing assets and development services.
In April 2021, we announced our plans to build a new small molecule manufacturing facility in Visp (CH). The new complex will include a customer dedicated manufacturing line for antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) payload molecules. The CHF 200 million investment is supported by a capital contribution and long-term collaboration with a major biopharmaceutical partner.
Taking inspiration from our Ibex® Solutions offering in Biologics, the new facility will also include a pre-built shell, allowing for optimal flexibility. The design will allow us to provide customized assets to meet customer needs and the pre-built modules will support a flexible approach and accelerate timelines to commencing operations. These advantages are important in a dynamic market and we are confident that it will be an attractive option for many customers. The facility will offer several opportunities for future small molecule expansions, including drug substance, particle engineering technologies such as spray drying dispersion and drug product.
Looking to the future, we also plan to grow our capacity across our three other existing production bases in Nansha (CN), Bend (US) and Tampa (US). In 2021 we announced new investments in good manufacturing practice (GMP) HPAPI laboratories and mid-scale manufacturing assets at our API manufacturing center in Nansha. These are expected to come online by Q3 2022. The investment of more than CHF 20 million will support our clinical-phase pipeline and allow us to provide a smoother transition from small-scale to large-scale manufacturing. With these expanded capabilities at our Nansha site, we continue to support the next generation of innovative and life-saving treatments with our customers around the world.
To enhance our capabilities in meeting accelerated timelines for increasingly complex molecules, we have expanded our solid form selection services based at our Bend site. The increased service capabilities and dedicated team complement our previously established SimpliFiH® Solutions first-in-human services, consisting of phase-appropriate drug substance and drug product development and manufacture. Our expanded solid form selection services offering is designed to meet the early-stage molecule development needs of biopharma players.
We are also on track with constructing new suites for the development and clinical manufacture of drug product intermediates and drug products utilizing spray-drying, hot-melt extrusion and melt-spray-congeal processing. These are due to be completed during Q2 2022.