A £400m expansion of a medicine and vaccine factory in the North East has made it the largest facility of its kind in the UK, positioning its workers at the forefront of the fight against diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Health Innovation Minister Zubir Ahmed said the launch of Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ new ‘Borealis’ site, and accompanying research laboratories, is symbolic of the country’s ambition to become the largest life sciences economy in Europe by 2030.
Prince Edward joined global executives from Fujifilm and the Japanese Ambassador to the UK for an official opening ceremony also attended by Government representatives.
Building out of new factory space and research facilities at the existing Belasis Avenue site now makes it the UK’s largest single-use contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) facility. Fujifilm leaders discussed how the site will expedite the delivery of crucial “life impacting” medicines to the market.
The investment has introduced new bioreactors to the site, significantly increasing its capacity to produce medicines and vaccines administered by syringe. The factory site also includes a new Bioprocess Innovation Centre, where scientists will conduct much of the research and development on treatments for some of the world’s most common conditions.
Mr Ahmed, said the move was a vote of confidence in the North East and in UK manufacturing and life sciences. He added: “Agile, innovative; facing outwards, both east and west, strengthening our medicine supply chains, while creating high skilled jobs across all of our regions. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that companies like Fujifilm continue to choose the UK and grow in the UK. We want to make the best country in the world to design trial and manufacture modern medicines through targeted capital grants and innovation programmes, and we’re prepared to put our money where our mouths are.
“Up to £520m pounds of life sciences innovation, manufacturing funding to back innovative manufacturing in our country, and a range of other schemes, like the VPAG Investment Programme for sustainable medicines manufacturing. And on top of this, the UK globally is a research and development powerhouse.”
(Image: Craig Connor/TeessideLive)
Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North and Minister for Industry, described the opening as a momentous occasion for Billingham and a “big statement about the future of the UK”. He continued: “What a great connection we have here in the North East between our own region and Japan. Whether it’s Nissan in Sunderland, Komatsu in Birtley, Hitachi Rail just up the road in Newton Aycliffe and of course Fujifilm here in my own constituency – there is this great connection between manufacturing communities here in the North East and in Japan.”
He emphasised the broader significance, noting: “This investment that we’re celebrating is partly about Billingham and the North East but it once again strengthens the relationship between two such great friends in Britain and Japan.”, reports Chronicle Live.
Lars Peterson, chief executive and president of Fujifilm Biotechnologies, said: “As a leading contract development and manufacturing organisation, Fujifilm Biotechnologies exists to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. Our work spans therapies and vaccines and conditions, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and rare disorders.”
He added: “We are relentless about the journey from idea to impact. Bringing the right science, scale and reliability to help therapies reach patients faster. Today’s opening delivers on that promise in three important ways.
“First, with this manufacturing expansion, we are inaugurating the UK’s first single use node in our global kojoX network. Here we bring both 2,000 litres scale and 5,000 litres scale, single use bioreactors, standardised equipment families, and harmonised methods and quality systems. To allow faster change over and seamless technology transfers, and resilient supply, despite global disruptions.”
Toshihisa Iida, chairman of Fujifilm Biotechnologies, stated: “Over the past decade, Fujifilm has invested more than £5bn globally to grow our CDMO business – demonstrating our steadfast commitment to increasing our production capacity and capabilities to meet the growing demand for innovative medicines and vaccines for patients around the globe. The opening of our UK expansion, will enable us to support our partners’ products from the process development stage to early clinical manufacturing – ranging from low-volume therapies for ultra-rare diseases to commercial biologics all from one site.”