Biologic Drugs

Richard Grant, Global VP of Cell Therapy at Invetech discusses the advantages and challenges of developing and manufacturing personalized immunotherapies.

The fast growth of the global biopharmaceutical market has prompted global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to increase their R&D investment in biologics.

While the optimization of a lyophilization cycle for a biologic relies on a well-characterized formulation, viscosity and aggregation after product reconstitution must also be carefully managed.

A General Chapter on mAbs will be published in USP-NF as biologics increase their role in healthcare.

Remsima will now be available for patients in 12 additional countries in the European Union.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that it reached an agreement to acquire Flexus Biosciences and has entered into a $309-million partnership with Rigel Pharmaceuticals.

Celltrion announced that its Remicade biosimilar, Rensima, could save France, Italy, and the UK up to €336 million in costs to treat Crohn’s disease.

The Berlin-Buch facility will begin manufacture of the company’s immune cell therapy.

The all-synthetic 3M Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier contains both an anion-exchange nonwoven media and a fine-particle, bioburden reduction membrane.

Hospira’s Inflectra (infliximab), a biosimilar for Remicade, is approved by the European Commission.

The ongoing battle over drug reimbursement and pricing has raised questions about whether the pharmaceutical industry can continue to rely on high United States revenues to fund biopharmaceutical R&D.

The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research seeks a more flexible system for assessing biotech product quality.

Pfenex announced that it entered into an agreement to partner with Hospira on the development and commercialization of PF582, a biosimilar candidate to Lucentis.

Amgen announced that it met primary and secondary endpoints in its biosimilar evaluation of adalimumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, when compared to Humira.

The 2016 White House Budget proposes a change to the data exclusivity period for biologics and the authority to influence drug pricing.

Ligand-binding assays are fundamental to characterizing biosimilars.

EMA is under pressure to exert even tighter standards on biosimilars being marketed in Europe.

Market forces may limit the success of CMOs.

Working with biological matrices and understanding the intended use are crucial.

New guidelines focused on the materials of construction in biologic therapy packaging will help vendors prepare comprehensive extractable and leachable testing strategies.

CMO executives share their opinions on where outsourcing is going and what is driving market change.

After launching a new mammalian cell platform, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies U.S.A., has acquired fast-track vaccine manufacturing knowhow and a major presence in Texas’ emerging biocorridor with Kalon, its first acquisition.

Catalent announced that it would partner with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, and its subsidiary MGC Pharma, to promote GPEx technology, a high-titer vector for stable mammalian cell lines.

Sanofi has entered into a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim for the manufacture of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Catalent Pharma Solutions and Sanofi-Aventis R&D have entered into a collaboration to develop Sanofi’s proprietary antibodies using Catalent’s SMARTag antibody drug conjugate (ADC) platform.

An FDA expert committee has recommend approval of Zarizio, the first US biosimilar application from Sandoz, setting a milestone for generic biologic drugs and setting the stage for future approvals.

Cardio3 BioSciences acquired Celdara Medical’s immuno-oncology platform, OnCyte, for up to $180 million in cash, stock, and royalties.

Understanding and preventing protein aggregation is crucial to ensuring product quality and patient safety.

The Cell Therapy Catapult, a UK non-profit center for advancing cell and gene therapies, will manage the manufacturing center, which will be used for late-phase clinical trials and commercial supply.

FDA has scheduled a public meeting in early January to assess and weigh data on the first United States application for a biosimilar therapy.