MilliporeSigma Invests $65 Million to Expand Antibody-Drug Conjugate Manufacturing

On Sept. 9, 2020, MilliporeSigma announced a $65-million investment in its facility near Madison, WI, to expand its manufacturing capabilities for high-potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The investment will allow for the large-scale manufacture of increasingly potent compounds that have the potential to treat cancer.

The expansion, which includes a new 70,000-ft2 commercial building, is expected to be completed by mid-2022. The new facility will be dedicated to HPAPI manufacturing and will be specifically designed to handle single-digit nanogram occupational exposure limit materials, according to a company press release. The facility will also include containment areas where next-generation linker and payload materials for ADCs will be produced.

“ADCs have posted incredible growth over the last decade and regulatory agencies’ approvals in recent years demonstrate their promise as a targeted therapy,” said Andrew Bulpin, head of Process Solutions at MilliporeSigma, in the press release. “With more than 35 years of experience in this space, we have been a frontrunner in the development and manufacturing of biologics, conjugation processes, and small molecules. This investment underscores our commitment to working with innovators to bring new treatments to patients quickly and more efficiently.”

MilliporeSigma is the life science business in the United States of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally, except in the US, where the company operates as EMD Serono in the healthcare sector and EMD Performance Materials, in addition to MilliporeSigma in life science.

Source: MilliporeSigma​