Nexvet Biopharma, a veterinary biologics developer, announced it has secured a dedicated biologics manufacturing facility in Tullamore, Ireland. The transaction is supported by the Irish Government's Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland, their foreign investment agency.
BioNua Limited, a subsidiary of Nexvet, will run business operations at the 20,000-square-foot facility, which was previously used to produce human biopharmaceuticals. According to a press release, the facility has historically operated under an Investigational Medicinal Products License and a cGMP Manufacturing License from Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority and is equipped with cGMP grade clean rooms, water for injection, purified water, and clean steam generation systems. In addition, the facility is equipped with analytical and development laboratories.
BioNua Limited will pay $1.98 million to secure the manufacturing assets within the facility and has entered into a 10-year lease on the facility, with an option to purchase the building.
"The opportunity to assume full control of our manufacturing is compelling, as existing manufacturers may face regulatory uncertainties regarding the manufacture of human and veterinary products in the same facility. Securing this facility at a fraction of its replacement cost reduces this uncertainty and will significantly lower our development expenses and ultimately, cost of goods," said Dr. Mark Heffernan, CEO of Nexvet.
BioNua says it will invest in state-of-the-art disposable biopharmaceutical technologies, which have a number of advantages over traditional bioprocessing infrastructure including improved adaptability to product demand, reduced risk of contamination, and a reduction in required capital expenditure.
