Boehringer Ingelheim is developing a new biologicals development centre (BDC) within its Biberach plant site in Germany.

The new facility will focus on therapeutic areas such as cancer and immunological diseases.

The foundation stone for Boehringer Ingelheim Biologicals Development Centre was laid in June 2018 and a phased opening is expected to commence in early-2020. Boehringer Ingelheim is making an estimated investment of €230m ($266.4m) in the facility.

The project is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs and increase the size of the development team at Biberach to 500.

The new development centre will complement Boehringer Ingelheim’s investments in its global biopharmaceutical development network. The company is already investing in a cell culture plant in Vienna, a new production facility for biopharmaceuticals in China, and a production expansion project in California, US.

Details of Boehringer Ingelheim biologicals development centre

The new biologicals development centre at Biberach is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s long-term plan to expand its biologic drugs development segment, including key therapeutic areas immuno-oncology and immunology.

The share of biologically active substances in the company’s pipeline has been steadily increasing and currently stands at 40%.

The new investment is expected to consolidate the biological analysis, process development and drug manufacturing for clinical trials departments, and minimise the pathways and generating synergies.

The facility is expected to conduct biopharmaceutical drug development in addition to research and development (R&D), increasing the overall development capacity. It is also expected to create capacity for contract manufacturing.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s Biberach research and development site details

The Biberach plant is one of the biggest biopharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Europe and produces medicinal proteins and antibodies from cell cultures of mammals.

The company’s BioXcellence unit operates a pilot plant and two large-scale manufacturing plants for contract manufacturing at the site. It offers an entire production chain that starts from DNA to fill and finish, alongside customised contract development and manufacturing solutions.

The plant employs fed-batch process as its core technology, but also offers perfusion processes in 2,000l fermenters established as an integral part of the commercial plant. A single-use plant comprising bioreactors from 100l to 500l, as well as a fully-disposable downstream processing facility is also part of the plant.

The facility manufactures clinical and commercial cell banks under good manufacturing practice (GMP), and has generated and released approximately 200 master, working and bioassay cell banks during the last 15 years.

Marketing commentary on Boehringer Ingelheim

Founded in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim has established itself as one of biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the family-owned company operates globally with 181 subsidiaries and employs approximately 50,000 people.

The company’s operations centres around core business areas, human health, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. It focuses on adding value through innovation and invests more than 20% of its net sales towards the R&D of human pharmaceuticals.

Boehringer also focuses on organic growth from its own resources by forming partnerships and strategic alliances in research. The company recorded net sales of approximately €18.1bn ($21.6bn) in 2017 and spent more than €3bn ($3.59bn) on R&D, which is equivalent to 17% of net sales.