Fujifilm launches manufacturing in Denmark following phase one expansion

Biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies has announced that the first phase of its $928 million site expansion in Hillerød, Denmark is finished after the installation of six new mammalian cell bioreactors. After the second phase is completed in 2026, the site will cover about 51,500 square meters.

“Our operations in Hillerød represent our commitment to being the world-leading partner for life — supporting our customers and their patients globally,” said Christian Houborg, site head and senior vice president of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies.

Each bioreactor on site has a capacity of 20,000 liters, and the first phase brings a total of 12 such reactors online. The first expansion serves the company’s existing partners, with 80% of the antibody drugs produced there being used to treat cancer, according to a Fujifilm spokesperson.

The spokesperson told BioProcess Insider that the expanded facility will serve partners across Europe and the US. “Next year we’ll be going live with our new facility in North Carolina, US, which is our nearly identical twin in terms of design and how we will operate.”

“This first phase expansion completion in Hillerød, paired with our current expansion projects across Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ network will provide a total of 36 x 20,000L mammalian cell-culture bioreactors across by 2028,” the spokeperson said. The company has further developments continuing in Teesside and Toyama, in the UK and Japan respectively, with more expansion work being done in the US. The firm will finish the first phase of its primary expansion site in Holly Springs, North Carolina in 2025, with the second phase scheduled for completion in 2028.

Lars Petersen, president and chief executive officer, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies said, “By investing in state-of-the-art facilities on both sides of the Atlantic and prioritizing our workforce, we are uniquely positioned to meet the evolving needs of our partners and the patients they serve.”

The company recently announced that the Holly Springs site will be used to produce Briumvi (ublituximab) after signing a multi-year agreement with TG Therapeutics. Fujifilm will provide secondary supply of the drug, which is used for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

After the completion of the Hillerød site’s second expansion in 2026, Fujifilm plans to employ 2,200 workers, up from the 1,700 that are there today, which itself is an increase from 800 when the firm acquired the site in 2019.

Most of the new employees will perform manufacturing duties, with further hires to work supporting roles as engineers, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) specialists, tech transfer specialists, process scientists, laboratory technicians, and maintenance technicians. 

“In order to ensure that our new manufacturing associates are prepared for their job in production, they are assigned a number of external courses and an onsite training package which will see them complete more than 100 trainings,” the spokesperson said.