MilliporeSigma to Expand ADC Manufacturing for Cancer Therapies

MilliporeSigma, the US and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced on Oct. 29, 2024 that it is investing $76 million to expand manufacturing capabilities for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at its Bioconjugation Center of Excellence facility in St. Louis, Mo. The investment includes scaling utilities and enhancing process and analytical development labs. The company hopes the expansion will provide support for early stage and commercial bioconjugates and create shorter turnaround times.

Included in the expansion is the upgrading of 34,000 square feet of space that includes process and analytical development, quality control, R&D, manufacturing, and logistics departments. Also included will be new labs, a dedicated manufacturing buffer preparation facility, and a cold storage and a good manufacturing practice (GMP)-controlled room temperature (CRT) warehouse.

“We are shaping tomorrow’s cancer care, today. With this investment, we are not just enhancing our capabilities; we are investing in our clients’ success by accelerating innovation and development to ultimately deliver novel therapies to patients more quickly,” said Benjamin Hein, head of Life Science Services, Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in a press release (1). “ADCs represent a transformative approach to oncology, enabling targeted therapies that minimize damage to healthy tissues. As the market for this novel modality grows and the medical community adopts them as first-line treatments, it may mean that fewer patients need invasive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation that cause significant side effects.”

This current expansion builds on expansion efforts the company has completed during the past few years. The company opened a $65 million, 70,000-square foot facility in Verona, Wis. in 2022 that doubled the production of highly potent APIs for cancer treatments. According to the company, ADCs are promising drug modalities for cancer treatments.

“The ability of ADCs to reach and target diseased cells without damaging nearby healthy tissues is also demonstrating significant potential beyond oncology, particularly with innovative bioconjugates like antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates and radioimmunoconjugates. These bioconjugates are being explored for a variety of applications, including autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. This expanding scope highlights the transformative role of bioconjugates in advancing personalized medicine across diverse therapeutic areas,” the company stated in the press release.

In other ADC news, MilliporeSigma launched the Mobius ADC Reactor in September 2024, a scalable single-use mixer specifically designed for ADC manufacturing. The company also launched ChetoSensar technology that addresses challenges in ADC solubility. The ADCore portfolio of advanced payload intermediates enables more efficient synthetic pathways for common payloads used in ADC, reducing development and manufacturing time.

MilliporeSigma also offers expertise in both clinical and commercial manufacturing such as clinical services to support investigational new drugs, commercial service to support commercially approved ADCs with bioconjugation or linker/payloads, and integrated services for viral vectors, lipids, messenger RNA manufacturing, and more.

Reference

1. MilliporeSigma. MilliporeSigma Invests $76 Million to Expand ADC Manufacturing for Novel Cancer Therapies. Press Release. Oct. 29, 2024.