Fujifilm Invests $83M USD to Expand FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Microbial Capacity

The expansion will take place in its Billingham, UK site

TOKYO, March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FUJIFILM Corporation announced today that it will invest approximately 9 billion yen ($83M USD) to expand the microbial production capacity of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB), a world leading cGMP Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) supporting its partners in the biopharmaceutical industry with the development and production of their biologics, vaccines and gene therapies. The expansion will be made in its United Kingdom site and is scheduled to be operational after 2022. It will triple FDB's current capacity of microbial production at the United Kingdom site.

Fujifilm's investment in the United Kingdom site will allow FDB to respond to the increased demand of microbial expressed therapies. The expansion will include a new production line equipped with 2 X 2000L fermenters and a modular purification suite. The utilities at the facility will be upgraded to accommodate for high volume production.

"Fujifilm has committed to supporting the biopharmaceutical industry and invested aggressively in both capital and technology for producing such as antibodies and gene therapies," says Takatoshi Ishikawa, executive vice president, general manager of Bio CDMO Division of FUJIFILM Corporation. "We respond to the increased demand of microbial production this time and will continue to contribute to the industry."

"For more than 30 years FDB has been a leader in microbial production," said Paul Found, chief operating officer, FDB, United Kingdom. "From our pAVEway expression technology to our commercial capabilities, we are well suited to support customers at all stages of the product development process. This expansion will cement our position as the leading microbial CDMO."

Fujifilm aims to achieve sales of 100 billion yen in the Bio CDMO business* in FY2021 while maintaining its commitment to support the delivery of wide variety of therapies including recombinant proteins, antibodies, hormones, viral vectors and vaccines by our customers through the stable supply of high-quality product, solve social issues such as responding to unmet medical needs, and contribute to the development of the healthcare industry.

* Bio CDMO business offers not only biopharmaceuticals but also small molecule pharmaceuticals.

About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM Corporation, Tokyo, Japan is one of the major operating companies of FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation. The company brings cutting edge solutions to a broad range of global industries by leveraging its depth of knowledge and fundamental technologies developed in its relentless pursuit of innovation. Its proprietary core technologies contribute to the various fields including healthcare, graphic systems, highly functional materials, optical devices, digital imaging and document products. These products and services are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. For the year ended March 31, 2019, the company had global revenues of $22 billion, at an exchange rate of 111 yen to the dollar. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: holdings.fujifilm.com

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies an industry-leading Biologics Contract  Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with locations in Billingham and Redcar, UK, RTP, North Carolina and College Station, Texas and Hillerod, Denmark FUJIFILM Diosynth has over twenty five years of experience in the development and manufacturing of recombinant proteins, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, among other biologics viral products and medical countermeasures expressed in a wide array of microbial, mammalian, and host/virus systems. The company offers a comprehensive list of services from cell line development using its proprietary pAVEway™ microbial and Apollo™X cell line systems to process development, analytical development, clinical and FDA-approved commercial manufacturing. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is a partnership between FUJIFILM Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation.  For more information, go to: www.fujifilmdiosynth.com

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