Nexvet Secures Biomanufacturing Facility for Veterinary Biologics

Nexvet Biopharma, a veterinary biologics developer, secured a dedicated biologics manufacturing facility in Tullamore, Ireland, the company announced on Sept. 16, 2015. The transaction is supported by the Irish Government's Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland, their foreign investment agency.

BioNua Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nexvet, will run business operations at the 20,000 ft² facility, which was previously devoted to producing human biopharmaceuticals. The facility has historically operated under an Investigational Medicinal Products License and a cGMP Manufacturing License from Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority and is equipped with cGMP grade clean rooms, water for injection, purified water, and clean steam generation systems. In addition, the facility is equipped with analytical and development laboratories. BioNua Limited will pay €1.75 million (US$1.98 million) to secure the manufacturing assets within the facility and has entered into a 10-year lease on the facility, with an option to purchase the building.

"The opportunity to assume full control of our manufacturing is compelling, as existing manufacturers may face regulatory uncertainties regarding the manufacture of human and veterinary products in the same facility. Securing this facility at a fraction of its replacement cost reduces this uncertainty and will significantly lower our development expenses and ultimately, cost of goods," said Mark Heffernan, CEO of Nexvet, in a press release.

BioNua will invest in state-of-the-art disposable biopharmaceutical technologies, which have a number of advantages over traditional bioprocessing infrastructure, including improved adaptability to product demand, reduced risk of contamination, and a reduction in required capital expenditure.

Source: Nexvet