Boehringer Ingelheim has initiated a capacity expansion in its biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing business at its commercial manufacturing site for biologics in China. The expansion covers an additional bioreactor and includes all needed utility and infrastructure to support the GMP operations of 2 x 2,000-liter single-use bioreactor manufacturing lines.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing business is expected to begin manufacturing the commercial supply of a monoclonal antibody out of its China manufacturing facility in 2019. This will be the first commercial drug manufactured in the Shanghai facility. Following the commercial manufacturing of a client’s antibody, a number of investigational drugs are in Boehringer Ingelheim’s contract manufacturing business pipeline for potential future market launch and commercial supply out of Shanghai, China.

The company inaugurated the commercial production site for biopharmaceuticals in Shanghai in May 2017. The site uses mammalian cell-culture technology. The company said it constructed the facility with the long-term goal to become a leader for contract development and manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins in China. The company has been providing GMP clinical material supply at 100-L and 500-L scale in Shanghai since 2014.

Source: Boehringer Ingelheim