Patheon has announced it has signed a manufacturing agreement with Amgen, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Amgen has selected Patheon to provide flexible manufacturing solutions to meet the growing demand for their innovative human therapeutics.

Amgen global supply chain vice-president Rayne Waller said: "As we launch new products and expand into more countries, it is critical to have the capacity to respond to increases in demand for our medicines.

"Manufacturing remains a core competency and a competitive advantage for Amgen and we are committed to supplying every patient, every time.

"This arrangement with Patheon supplements our own manufacturing network and provides us flexibility to ensure supply."

The rapidly changing biopharmaceutical marketplace presents tremendous challenges for biotechnology companies when it comes to demand forecasting.

To address this, Patheon has developed unique solutions and business models providing flexible manufacturing options for clients to address the complex client needs in a changing landscape.

Patheon global sales and marketing executive vice-president Michael Lehmann said: "We believe the departure from the ‘build or buy’ paradigm represents a superior value for our clients.

"These flexible capacity solutions require a strategic and collaborative approach, different from the traditional ‘price per batch’ concept.

"This agreement with Amgen is representative of the changing dialogue in the pharmaceutical services industry."

Patheon provides world class process development and cGMP manufacturing services for both drug substance and drug product, from pre-clinical to commercial supply, to its global client base.