Page 150 - CW E-Magazine (7-11-2023)

Pharmaceuticals

EXPANSION

Aragen plans $30-mn biologics facility in Bengaluru

Hyderabad-based Contract Research tegrated gene-to-GMP solutions to our
Development and Manufacturing customers. Once this facility is com-
Organization (CRDMO), Aragen, has missioned, Aragen will offer a unique
announced plans to set up a new biologics value proposition to our biologics cus-
manufacturing facility in Bangalore. tomers where the early-stage discovery
will be executed in our R&D labs in
The state-of-the-art facility is part California, where we have access to
of a $30-mn investment, spanning nearly the top scientifi c talent and have proxi-
160,000 sq.m., and includes process mity to our customers. As the molecule
development labs and multiple GMP California site, spanning cell line and advances, Aragen can tech-transfer the
manufacturing suites with supporting antibody development. Our platform programme to our world-class manu-
functions like quality control labs (ana- technology has so far enabled our part- facturing facility in Bangalore, offering
lytical and microbiology). The company ners to rapidly advance biotherapeu- better COGS to our customers.”
said the manufacturing suites will be tics to the clinic and several successful
equipped for intensifi ed processing commercial products use Aragen- The process development labora-
using single-use bioreactors and advanced derived CHO cell lines. With the open- tory is scheduled to be operational by
downstream purifi cation capability to ing of our bio-manufacturing facility, the third quarter of FY 24 while the
serve its growing biologics customer we will empower our customers with fi rst manufacturing suite will open in
base. The facility will offer integrated even faster development timelines and the third quarter of FY 25. The facility
solutions from process development, support their full lifecycle journey from is designed to include plasmid DNA,
process validation, analytical develop- clone development to cell culture manu- mRNA, cell and gene therapy, micro-
ment, pilot production, large-scale drug facturing making Aragen a ‘one-stop’ bial manufacturing and additional GMP
substance manufacturing and stability solution provider for large molecules” manufacturing suites in the future
services. It will have the capability to commented Mr. Subodh Deshmukh, as demand ramps up. Aragen, through
develop and manufacture mAbs, thera- CEO, Aragen Bioscience Inc. its subsidiary, Aragen Bioscience Inc.,
peutic proteins and fusion proteins to offers a range of in vitro and in vivo
augment the company’s bioproduction Mr. Manni Kantipudi, CEO, Aragen services for the discovery, cell line
capability in California (USA). Life Sciences added, “Setting up of a development, production, characteri-
biologics manufacturing facility in sation and efficacy assessment and
“Aragen has been a leader in bio- India is part of our forward integration development of biologics for human
logics discovery and development ser- strategy for our US-based biologics and animal health. Its R&D facilities
vices for nearly three decades from our business, allowing Aragen to offer in- are in the San Francisco Bay area.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Dr. Reddy’s reports 33% increase in Q2 net profi t
Driven by a strong growth in the cent year on year. During the quarter it tributed 46 percent of the revenues
US and European markets and favour- spent Rs. 544.70-crore on research and (Rs. 3,100-crore) in the quarter, showing a
able forex situation, Dr. Reddy’s Labo- development, constituting 7.9 percent growth of 13 percent year on year. “The
ratories has posted a net profi t of of its revenues. growth was driven by leveraging exis-
Rs. 1,480-crore in the second quarter ended ting portfolio, contribution from new
September 30, 2023, showing a growth “We continued to build on the products and favourable forex which
of 33 percent year-on-year. momentum that we have created in the was partly offset by price erosion,” he
last few quarters and this is yet another said. Addressing a press conference, the
It registered a revenue of Rs. strong quarter with the highest ever company’s Chief Executive Officer
6,880-crore in the quarter as against sales and profi ts,” Mr. Parag Agarwal, Mr. Erez Israeli said the growth in
Rs. 6,302.70-crore in the comparable quar Chief Financial Offi cer of Dr. Reddy’s, topline and gains in market share helped
ter last year, showing a growth of 9 per- said. The North American market con- the contribution from the US increase.

150 Chemical Weekly November 7, 2023

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