Axplora, a CDMO of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), antibody drug conjugates, and industrial chromatography, is investing EUR 50-million ($52-million) at its site in Mourenx, France, for a large-scale high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and continuous chromatography facility. Martin Meeson, CEO of Axplora, highlighted this expansion at the DCAT Member Company Announcement Forum held on March 17, 2025, at DCAT Week.  

The facility will add capabilities and capacities for peptide purification and biologics handling. The investment will position the site as a Center of Excellence for API Purification. The facility will provide purification for both small- and large-molecule programs, including supporting the development of glucagon-like peptide (1 GLP-1) drugs. The facility is slated to be ready for biologics license applications in 15 months (as reported in March 2025) with the first supply of GLP-1s expected in 2026.  

Additionally, the company has launched a GMP payload manufacturing workshop at its site in Le Man, France, to support ADC development and manufacturing. Overall, the Le Mans facility features six dedicated ADC workshops, broadly split across two for clinical payload-linker production, two for commercial payloads, and two for bioconjugation. The new GMP workshop is currently equipped with three Hastelloy reactors, and can accommodate a fourth, offering a production range of 30 to 200 liters. Additionally, a dedicated Hastelloy filter dryer provides high-level containment and safety. 

Separately, the company is also expanding with a new workshop for complex and energetic chemistries in Leverkusen, Germany.