Chiesi Launches Biotech Center of Excellence in Parma, Italy

On Oct. 14, 2024, the biopharmaceutical research company Chiesi Group announced the operational launch of its Biotech Center of Excellence in its home base of Parma, Italy (1). The company’s approximately €400 million (US$436 million) investment in the new, state-of-the-art facility is broken down into €120 million (US$131 million) to be devoted to infrastructure, with about €260 million (US$283 million) earmarked for materials, innovative technologies, skills development, and training, up to the year 2030.

Chiesi Group intends to provide integration of the entire supply chain with the new center, developing and producing monoclonal antibodies, enzymes, and other proteins, and combining those with research and industrial production capabilities (1). Enhanced efficiency, the company said, will better allow Chiesi Group to innovate and bring new treatments to market. This strategy aligns with European Union priorities regarding not only innovation, but also security and private R&D investment, according to the company.

"We inaugurate a center with a production site that projects us into a new path of care, allowing us to continue making a difference in serving people and families living with chronic diseases, especially rare diseases, with increasingly innovative technologies,” said Alessandro Chiesi, Chiesi Group chair, in a press release (1). “In a rapidly changing world, this facility will help generate new knowledge and skills, contributing to a national biotech supply chain that attracts and retains the best global talents.”

Technical activities at the new center currently involve more than 60 employees, and that number is projected to grow to more than 80 by the end of 2025, with allowances for an eventual workforce of as many as 200 specialists (1).

"At Chiesi, innovation is at the heart of everything we do,” added Chiesi Group CEO Giuseppe Accogli, in the press release. “The opening of our new Biotech Center marks a bold leap forward in our commitment to delivering groundbreaking therapies that truly transform patients' lives. This center will elevate our production capabilities to new heights and reinforce our dedication to driving innovation. More than that, it will empower us to forge powerful collaborations and push the boundaries of what's possible in patient[s’] care.”

Earlier in 2024, Chiesi Group signed an agreement with Karolinksa Institutet, a medical university in Solna, Sweden, intended to accelerate R&D initiatives for rare diseases, respiratory diseases, diseases of prematurity, and other specialty care indications (2). The Karolinska agreement followed the company’s $1.25 billion acquisition of Amryt Pharma, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, in January 2023, and a partnership with US-based Aliada Therapeutics signed in August 2023 for the development of drug delivery systems (3,4).

References

1. Chiesi Group. Chiesi Group's New Biotech Center of Excellence Brings the Future of Medicine to Parma, Italy. Press Release. Oct. 14, 2024.
2. Chiesi Group. Chiesi Group Forges Alliance with Karolinska Institutet to Tackle Urgent Health Challenges. Press Release. May 14, 2024.
3. Amryt Pharma. Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. to Acquire Amryt Pharma Plc. Press Release. Jan. 8, 2023.
4. Chiesi Group. Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Announces Co-Development Agreement with Aliada Therapeutics to Advance Blood-Brain Barrier-Crossing Platform Technology in Lysosomal Storage Disorders. Press Release. Aug. 15, 2023.