Boehringer Ingelheim announced it will build a cGMP biopharma manufacturing facility in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in cooperation with Shanghai Zhangjiang Biotech and Pharmaceutical Base Development Co., Ltd. and funded with a joint investment up to 500 million RMB ($81 million). An official groundbreaking ceremony, including traditional Chinese fireworks, lion dancers and drums, as well as a press conference and dinner, was held to celebrate the occasion. The facility will offer disposable cGMP biopharma manufacturing and development services to China and multinational pharmas.

Artist's concept of BI's Shanghai cGMP biopharma facility from company flyer

It is the first biopharma manufacturing facility in Asia for BI.  According to BI, the new Shanghai plant will also be the first in China using mammalian cell culture technology that is owned by a multinational pharma. It is expected to be operational in early 2016 and to create up to 65 skilled job opportunities.

BI also announced that its manufacturing facility in Shanghai will utilize a fully disposable concept providing from 100L to "multiple 1,000L" capacity. It will also provide upstream and downstream process development, process transfer and fill and finish capabilities. Specifically mentioned as available through its "network," most likely meaning not in Shanghai, are cell line development and GMP cell banking.

BI is constructing the facility in partnership with Zhangjiang Biotech & Pharmaceutical Base Development Company.  BI announced it will invest $46 million in the facility, so the assumption is that the remainder of the $81 million will come from ZJ Base Development. Zhangjiang officials apparently stepped up to attract BI, as this is significantly more than the $20 million other interested parties were previously told was earmarked for a cGMP biologics facility in the same location.

BI’s biopharma contract manufacturing business, which is now operating under the brand Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™, has brought 22 biopharma products to the market in its 35-year history. It offers services over the entire technology chain – from DNA to fill and finish, under one roof. The soon-to-be-completed Shanghai facility will join three other locations, already in operation: Biberach (Germany), Vienna (Austria) and Fremont, CA (USA). 

BI has been in China since 1994, headquartered in Shanghai with 11 branches and nearly 3,000 employees nationwide. It has invested over $280 million thus far in China, including its major facilities in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. In late 2011, BI announced a $91 million expansion of its manufacturing plant in the park, transforming the facility into an important supply center for China (see story). The new construction included a packaging center along with an automated warehouse, a new laboratory building for development activities, and an upgrading of the existing solids manufacturing facility with new technologies. The number of employees is expected to rise from 240 to 400, with production capacity doubled.

Last year, BI also announced it would spend $69 million to build a veterinary vaccine medicine production facility in Taizhou China Medical City (see story). The new manufacturing plant was in addition to the company’s $15 million investment in an animal health R&D lab in Zhangjiang park, which opened in March 2012 (see story). The company said it wanted to increase its market share in Asia's animal vaccine sector.

With respect to today’s announcement of its new biologics manufacturing facility in Zhangjiang Park, Christian Boehringer, Chairman of the Shareholders Committee, said, “Our partnership with ZJ Base Company is an important step in our global China strategy as it opens a further opportunity for Boehringer Ingelheim to participate in the growing demand for high quality biopharmaceuticals in China.”

Lanzhong Wang, General Manager of the ZJ Base Company, commented: “We are very pleased to start the partnership with a leading biopharmaceuticals company like Boehringer Ingelheim. Through the cooperation, we hope to bring here the know-how, technology and experience, all up to international standards. Thus, it will greatly prompt the development of China’s biopharmaceuticals manufacturing industry.”

Since it entered the Chinese market, Boehringer Ingelheim has expanded its portfolio to offer products for respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous system ailments. In the future, the company plans to continue expanding, adding products for the therapeutic areas of diabetes, oncology and stroke prevention.

With its long history of cGMP biopharma manufacturing, BI will be an important addition to Shanghai’s contract services scene.

See our other articles on Boehringer Ingelheim.

Disclosure: none.