Avecia expands capability

Published: 15-Jun-2002


Avecia Biotechnology has completed a US$5m (€5.4m) expansion of its DNA medicines production facility at Milford, Massachusetts, upgrading its r&d facilities and trebling the capacity of the site to around 200kg annually, with flexibility for multi-product operations at all stages of drug development. A second OligoProcess synthesiser will be installed, together with additional purification, downstream processing and analytical equipment.

Avecia's DNA production capability in the US now mirrors that of its twin facility at Grangemouth in Scotland. The near-identical platforms in Europe and North America will ease technology transfer and increase flexibility.

'This increased capacity supports rising demand for DNA medicines into 2003 and beyond,' said Kevin Cox, vice president Avecia Biotechnology. 'Avecia intends to show clear leadership and innovative capability in making DNA medicines a reality,' he added, 'and plans are well advanced to further extend Avecia's capabilities in the development and production of DNA medicines via a series of major investment programmes.'

These plans envisage further capacity expansions at both the Milford and Grangemouth facilities to between 200 and 300kg each, and the creation of the world's first 1,000kg DNA medicines production facility.

In February, Avecia announced a $100m (€108m) programme to build advanced production facilities for biologics medicines at Billingham in the UK.

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