Abzena selects NC for $200m biologics plant

Abzena has selected Sanford, North Carolina as the site of a biologics manufacturing facility equipped with 12x 2,000 L bioreactors.

In January, British contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) Abzena announced the addition of a sixth global site in the US. The exact location of the plant was not divulged. However, the firm revealed this week that the site will be in Sanford, North Carolina.

The Sanford facility will cost over $200 million and will be dedicated to manufacturing mammalian biologics. According to the CDMO, the plant will create approximately 325 jobs in the local area.

Image/iStock: klenger

“North Carolina offers great resources for access to a talented workforce and other resources for us as we bring the new facility on-line,” said Kimball Hall, president, and COO of Abzena. “This will ensure we continue to offer our partners a site with advanced technologies and a world-class workforce […] We are looking forward to establishing Abzena as a new LifeSciences partner in North Carolina.”

Up to 12x 2,000 L

According to Abzena, the need to expand its capacity has been driven by the increased demand for commercial scale 2,000 L single-use bioreactors, which are used across a wide range of therapeutic areas.

cGMP Manufacturing is set to commence in mid-2022, with the site equipped to cater for current and future advances in manufacturing. Abzena has adopted a phased approach to constructing the facility, which allows for four modular suites. Each suite will include up to two 2,000 L bioreactors and after the initial phase is completed, a further addition of two 2,000 L suites will be added.

Abzena declined to comment on why North Carolina has been selected and if there are any future plans to expand the facility.

This is another expansion for Abzena:

Abzena expanded its biologics offering in October 2020 when the firm opened a $60 million 50,000 square-foot ‘Lusk’ facility in San Diego, California. The plant boasts a process development laboratory, two cGMP manufacturing cleanrooms for 500 L and 2,000 L scale bioreactors, a GMP warehouse, and analytical development and quality control (QC) laboratories, which are used to support late-stage and commercial biologics.