MilliporeSigma’s Mobius® 2,000-liter Single-use Bioreactors to Expand Avid Bioservices’ Manufacturing Capabilities
1 May 2017
MilliporeSigma and Avid Bioservices, Inc., have announced that Avid will upgrade its Myford clinical and commercial manufacturing facility with multiple Mobius® 2000-liter single-use bioreactors from MilliporeSigma.
The new bioreactors, to be installed in mid-2017, provide Avid with the latest technology while expanding the company’s manufacturing capacity. Avid is a wholly owned subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
“An integral part of our complete single-use offering, Mobius® bioreactors help companies like Avid move toward the goal of fully disposable manufacturing,” said Udit Batra, Member of the Executive Board, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and CEO, MilliporeSigma. “We will continue to support Avid as it upgrades its facility to help customers advance molecules into the clinic and to market so that patients have better access to life-enhancing drugs.”
Single-use technology is becoming increasingly popular in the industry. The market for single-use bioprocessing is estimated to reach $5.9 billion by 2024, according to Transparency Market Research. More than 90 percent of biopharma facilities use single-use technologies, according to Bioplan Associates.
“We ran a competitive process and chose the MilliporeSigma Mobius® 2,000-liter single-use bioreactor system because it offers technical and ease of use advantages over competing single-use systems,” said Steven W. King, President, Avid Bioservices. “The confidence in the choice has only been further reinforced by our experience to date with the Mobius® system up to the 1000-liter scale as part of a pilot program. Adding the Mobius® technology to expand Avid’s Myford biomanufacturing capacity highlights our commitment to offer customers the latest single-use equipment and flexible solutions.” King added that the first 2,000-liter pilot batch is planned for later this month.
Traditionally, biopharmaceutical companies used large stainless steel vessels in multi-story buildings, requiring substantial investment and rigorous setup. With single-use disposable equipment, customers get improved batch turnaround times, reduced risk of product cross-contamination, decreased capital costs and have less equipment to clean. MilliporeSigma’s single-use technology helps accelerate customers’ molecules to market, improve productivity, and ensure supply continuity.
“The planned installation of MilliporeSigma’s Mobius® 2000-liter bioreactors opens new opportunities for current and future Avid customers who require greater manufacturing capacity,” King added. “We have already secured customer commitments for the 2,000-liter capacity as soon as it is installed in our Myford facility and believe the advanced technology it offers will be a key factor in continuing to grow our Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization business.”
Avid has installed the appropriate systems at its Myford facility in Orange County, California to allow integration of MilliporeSigma’s Mobius® bioreactors. The 40,000- square foot Myford facility was designed to accommodate a fully disposable biomanufacturing process for late Phase III clinical and commercial biologics production. The facility can operate multiple bioreactors simultaneously, improving manufacturing capacity and efficiency.
MilliporeSigma’s Mobius® stirred tank bioreactor portfolio, with sizes ranging from 3- to 2000-liters, offers flexibility, scalability and ease-of-use. Mobius® bioreactors News Release Page 3 of 3 support GMP production and allow customers to optimize, streamline and accelerate drug development and production.