Fujifilm Investing $928M In Denmark Expansion

The expansion will establish end-to-end capabilities in one site, including drug substance manufacturing, fill/finish, assembly, labeling and packaging.

FUJIFILM Corporation will invest approximately $928 million in the Denmark site of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biologics and advanced therapies. The capital investment will double the Denmark site’s current drug substance manufacturing capacity, and will expand its capabilities to include fill/finish, and enhance its current assembly, labeling and packaging services.

Denmark
(Photo: FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies)

The investment in FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies will expand production lines for bulk drug substance with the addition of a further six mammalian cell bioreactors, bringing the total to 12 x 20,000-liter bioreactors by fall 2023, making the Denmark facility one of the few major large-scale manufacturing facilities in the bio-CDMO industry. The development will also include the addition of the Denmark site’s first fill/finish production line (added by summer 2023), featuring a fully-automated, cutting-edge system capable of producing up to approximately 35 million units per annum to cater to large-scale production. In spring 2022, a new packaging line equipped with facilities to assemble multiple types of auto-injectors¹ as well as automatic labeling, will be added to meet a broad range of customer needs.

“Our culture of innovation and reputation of manufacturing excellence ensures our rapid growth to better serve the healthcare community,” said Takatoshi Ishikawa, executive vice president, general manager of bio-CDMO division, FUJIFILM Corporation. “Since the acquisition of the Denmark site last year, the facility’s strong manufacturing track-record, coupled with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ technologies enabling a stable supply of high-quality biopharmaceuticals, has led to new orders not only from existing clients, but also new clients, contributing to our rapid business expansion.”

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies an industry-leading CDMO with locations in Teesside, UK; Research Triangle Park, NC; College Station, TX; and Hillerød, Denmark. The company develops and manufactures recombinant proteins, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, among other large molecules, viral products and medical countermeasures expressed in a wide array of microbial, mammalian, and host/virus systems. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is a partnership between FUJIFILM Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation.  

In August 2019, Fujifilm invested approximately $890 million to acquire Biogen’s manufacturing subsidiary in Denmark, for its world-class cGMP capabilities and its experienced talent. The advanced capabilities at the Denmark site has led to promising collaborations including the recent announcement of future manufacturing capacity reservation by the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, an initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard to speed-up the response to the global pandemic.

“With the addition of world-class assets enabling us to scale production volumes to fit both small and large batches, the capital infusion allows us to deliver on our promise to support our partners from pre-clinical through to commercialization,” said Martin Meeson, chief executive officer, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. “Moreover, we are able to support our partners in manufacturing lifesaving therapies to patients around the world.”

Fujifilm aims to achieve $938 million in sales in its bio-CDMO business² by fiscal year ending March 2022, and $1.9 billion by fiscal year ending March 2026, while maintaining its commitment to support the delivery of wide variety of therapies and advancing healthcare.

¹ An auto-injector is a medical device for drug self-administration, designed to deliver a dose of a particular drug.
² Bio-CDMO business offers services for biopharmaceuticals and small molecule pharmaceuticals.

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