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Catalent quadruples biologics capacity with new plant

Citing a boom in demand for biologics, Catalent has cut the ribbon on a new biomanufacturing facility in Madison, WI, a plant the company says will quadruple its capacity.

The 100,000-square-foot facility can handle flexible GMP production of multiple cell lines, Catalent said, replete with in-house process-development labs, microbiology and quality control functions. The plant's manufacturing is supported by analytical, formulation development and viral clearance capabilities, and the facility is designed to cut back on contamination with state-of-the-art technology, Catalent Biologics President Barry Littlejohns said.

"The extensive application of single-use technology greatly reduces the risk of cross contamination and gives us huge flexibility and scale, while our on-site capabilities enable us to provide our customers with solutions for even the most difficult-to-express proteins," Littlejohns said in a statement.

The new Madison facility is also key to Catalent's big entry into the antibody drug conjugate world. Earlier this month, Catalent licensed Redwood Bioscience's ADC platform, called SMARTag, planning to roll the technology into its biomanufacturing offering and cash in on the swelling demand for the drug delivery method.

Now that the Madison facility is open, Catalent has shifted all 89 employees from its old biologics plant in nearby Middleton, and it plans to employ more than 100 people at the new location.

- read the announcement