Dive Brief:
- Boehringer Ingelheim has upgraded its contract manufacturing capabilities in China, adding a new fill-and-finish line capable of GMP operations at its facility in Shanghai.
- Fill-and-finish is the last step in manufacturing biopharmaceutical drugs, involving the filling of drug product into containers like vials and final packaging into a medicine ready for distribution. Boehringer says the new line will give its plant in Shanghai the ability to conduct manufacturing from end to end.
- Boehringer began contract biopharmaceuticals operations in China in May 2017, putting up over $80 million in its first-phase investment.
Dive Insight:
China is increasingly becoming a "go-to" location for biopharmaceutical manufacturing for both local and global companies. This is reflected in recent expansions in manufacturing in the country, both from domestic and international companies.
WuXi Biologics, for example, had added 4,000 L custom single run disposable bioreactors at its new commercial manufacturing facility in Wuxi City, Jiangsu, China. The Chinese CDMO also has locations in the country in Shanghai and Suzhou, and has plans for plants outside China, in Dundalk, Ireland and in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Boehringer's contract manufacturing business, called BioXcellence, offers contract development and manufacturing services through its network across Europe, the U.S. and China.
Contract manufacturers in China and India are coming under greater scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration. This has resulted in rising numbers of warning letters to companies in both countries.
Boehringer touted its manufacturing experience and quality standards in its statement on the facility upgrade, perhaps with an eye to wooing customers concerned over avoiding GMP hiccups.
Boehringer's operations in China are headquarted in Shanghai and the company employs about 3,500 staff in the country.