WuXi PharmaTech to Build New Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility

WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc. has announced that it will soon begin construction of a new, 145,000-square-foot cGMP facility in Philadelphia for the manufacture of cell therapy products. This facility is designed for cell therapy products that contain viral vectors such as chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T cell) therapies. CAR T cells are T cells harvested from a patient's body, engineered to target specific cancers, and then reintroduced into the body.

The new facility will become WuXi's third cell therapy manufacturing facility when it becomes operational by mid-2016. It will provide single-source contract development and cGMP manufacturing capabilities to support the rapidly growing cellular therapeutic industry's unique requirements. Specifically, the new facility will provide manufacturing capability and capacity to meet the rapidly expanding demand for clinical studies and commercial supply.

The new facility will expand upon WuXi's existing 16,000-square-foot cGMP cell therapy manufacturing facility, as well as a 45,000-square-foot facility for the manufacturing of allogeneic and autologous cell-based therapeutics that is expected to be completed by mid-2015.

By 2016, WuXi's available manufacturing capacity in the U.S. of 206,000 square feet would help meet the anticipated market needs of clinical and commercial production for cell-therapy companies. These facilities will complement the company's current fully integrated facility for biological safety and lot release testing in Philadelphia.

"Cell therapies like CAR T cells offer important new treatment options for cancer patients, and WuXi aims to be at the forefront of this area of providing our partners with cutting-edge cGMP manufacturing capabilities and capacities," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech.