AGC to build $350m+ mammalian plant in Japan

Contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) AGC said its Yokohama facility - expected to cost around 50 billion Japanese yen ($350.5 million) - will offer pre-clinical through to commercial services for cell therapies, messenger RNA (mRNA), and mammalian-based protein biologics.

The facility will feature 2,000 L single-use bioreactors and multiple 4,000 L or larger reactors for mammalian cell culture offerings. In turn, the CDMO estimated this will make the site one of Japan’s biggest sites for mammalian-based production capacity.

According to the firm, the site is part of its strategic growth strategy to develop pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities in the Asia region to support the global demand for biologics and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).

“Due to strong demands from innovators, academia, biotech, and pharma companies in the Asia region and across the globe, we are launching cell therapy and mRNA services in Japan. Once complete, we will be able to provide ATMP services on three continents,” a spokesperson for AGC told BioProcess Insider.

“We recognize that this investment is essential for AGC to achieve significant growth in the life science business, and we expect solid market growth and demand expansion in the medium to long term. With this addition we will have multiple sites in Asia that can meet the development and manufacturing needs of pharmaceutical developers.”

The building has been funded by a grant from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). This is part of the ministry’s initiative to advance biopharmaceutical manufacturing sites to bolster vaccine production in the region.

“Japan is the fourth largest biopharmaceutical market after the US, European Union (EU), and China. The industry is also seeing tremendous growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region overall. We believe the needs of Asian pharmaceutical companies are high and will continue to grow.  Further, our current site in Chiba, Japan

 has also drawn interest from European and American pharmaceutical companies,” said the spokesperson.

The facility is anticipated to be operational in 2026 and once fully operational, it will employ 400 people.