Dive Brief:
- Bristol-Myers Squibb has completed a major expansion of its Devens, MA biologics facility, adding the capability to manufacture investigational drugs for clinical trials, the company said this week.
- The company added roughly 200,000 square feet across two new buildings, essentially increasing its footprint by half.
- Around 200 new employees have already been brought on, and Bristol-Myers plans to hire 150 more over time.
Dive Insight:
The Devens site had primarily produced bulk biologics for Bristol-Myers but will now have a wing dedicated to "designing processes for the early production of investigational medicines." Another building will be dedicated to manufacturing the drugs needed for clinical trials. With these additions, Bristol-Myers will have invested over $1 billion dollars in the facility, according to the company.
“Biologics are increasingly important in the treatment of serious diseases and a rapidly growing part of our company’s pipeline of potential new therapies," said Lou Schmukler, head of Global Manufacturing & Supply.
Bristol-Myers has a strong presence in the biologics market as one of the first companies to bring immuno-oncology drugs to market, namely Opdivo and Yervoy. It also has carved out a niche with Empliciti for multiple myeloma.
However, in addition to its blockbuster franchise of approved immunotherapies, BMS has a strong pipeline of biologics candidates, with numerous phase 1 candidates for oncology, as well as two phase 2 drugs in development for fibrosis.