vaccine Photo:VCG

 WuXi Biologics, a global company with open-access biologics technology platforms, said on Monday that it will take over and operate the Drug Substance (DS) facility at Bayer's Wuppertal site for COVID-19 vaccines production.

The 30,000-square-meter DS facility (MFG19), including 3x1000L perfusion and 6x2000L fed-batch capacity with independent downstream suites, will further enhance the Chinese firm's global network to supply COVID-19 vaccines and other biologics, according to the firm’s press release.

The two companies also plan to enter into a long-term sublease agreement and a transition service contract. The volume of the transaction, including the sublease agreement, amounts to approximately 150 million euros ($183 million).  

It is the second deal for the Chinese firm to sign a cooperation agreement with a pharmaceutical factory in Germany this year. In April this year, it completed the acquisition of Bayer's biologics plant (DP7) in Leverkusen, Germany.

Together with the DP7 , this new DS facility will be used for commercial manufacturing. The two facilities are expected to be ready for drug substance and drug product manufacturing by 2021.

The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the first half of 2021.

Global Times