China plant becomes latest in Thermo Fisher biomanufacturing network

The 860,000 square-foot facility in Hangzhou is Thermo Fisher’s first single-use manufacturing site in the Asia-Pacific region.

The facility opened its doors last week offering customers clinical and commercial drug substance and drug product capabilities, housing Thermo Fisher’s HyPerforma single-use bioreactors and associated single-use equipment to a 2,000 L scale.

The size of the capital expenditure has not been disclosed, and when asked the firm did not divulge how long it has taken for the facility to be built.

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The site, touted as a ‘one-stop service’ for biomanufacturing, will feed the demand for biologics production capabilities from customers specifically in the region.

“Thermo Fisher has been in China for 40 years and has always stayed true to its commitment of ‘In China, For China,’” Paul Jorjorian, VP and general manager of Biologics at Thermo Fisher Scientific, told BioProcess Insider.

“We have continuously increased our investment in China to help promote the construction of its industrial ecosystem and the high-quality development of local society and economy. Hangzhou is a strategic addition to Thermo Fisher’s global pharma services network and the latest example of its commitment to meeting customer demands globally.”

The facility is the latest in Thermo Fisher’s biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business. The firm entered the space in August 2017 through the $7.2 billion acquisition of Patheon and has continually grown its network through expansions, acquisitions, and collaborations.

“We have a wide variety of manufacturing sites around the world and are always willing to provide our customers with the appropriate resources and locations that fit their needs. Adding this site in Hangzhou is a commitment to maintaining that level of service in China.”

Earlier this month, the company spoke of its full service offering across all functions and multiple modalities as a differentiator in the CDMO space.

“We have leading capabilities in both drug substance and in drug product, small molecule, large molecule, and we built out a very strong presence in advanced modalities, including viral vector services for gene therapies, cell therapy services as well as nascent positions in plasmids, strong position in mRNA,” CEO Marc Casper said at the 5th Annual Evercore ISI HealthCONx Conference.