South Korean firm Alteogen has partnered with CDMO MilliporeSigma to develop and produce biotherapeutics and monoclonal antibody drugs.

The collaboration will see MilliporeSigma (the life sciences business of Germany’s Merck KGaA) provide Alteogen with late-stage manufacturing services which includes developing and producing recombinant biologics for clinical evaluation.

Image/iStock: solargaria

“This agreement supports large-volume subcutaneous administration of biologics that would otherwise be administered as an IV infusion,” said head of Process Solutions at Merck, Andrew Bulpin. “This advances Merck’s strategy of providing breakthrough, next-generation biologics for novel modalities.”

As well as being a bioprocess vendor, MilliporeSigma offers third-party pharmaceutical testing and manufacturing services under the BioReliance banner. The firm has seen increased growth in this business, driven in part by monoclonal antibody (mAb) demand.

Facility freedom

While financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, a spokeswoman for MilliporeSigma told BioProcess Insider “No additional investment is needed to carry out the contract.”

MilliporeSigma allows its clients to pick the facility it would like its manufacturing to take place. The firm will transfer Alteogen’s current processes to Merck’s facility in Martillac, France.

“We offer full freedom to our customers to choose their preferred site (customer centricity, flexibility). Typically, our customers choose site-based on their needs, i.e., proximity to clinical trial site, regulatory requirements based on target markets,” MilliporeSigma’s spokeswoman told us.

The Martillac facility boasts three upstream suites, two single-use downstream suites and 2,000 L single-use bioreactors.