Evotec began construction of its J.POD® 2 EU biologics manufacturing facility at its Campus Curie in Toulouse, France. J.POD 2 EU, Evotec’s second cGMP biomanufacturing facility, will use technology from its wholly-owned subsidiary, Just – Evotec Biologics, that utilizes small, automated, highly intensified and continuous bioprocessing operations housed inside autonomous cleanrooms.

J.POD® 2 EU will be Evotec’s first commercial biomanufacturing facility in Europe. The construction of Evotec’s first J.POD® 1 US in Redmond, WA, is expected to be operational later this year.

The build-up of J.POD 2 EU will be supported with up to € 50 million from the French government, the Occitanie Region, Bpifrance, the Haute-Garonne prefecture as well as Toulouse Métropole. The total investment that Evotec plans to undertake is currently estimated at approx. € 150 million.

“The global availability and accessibility of highly effective biotherapeutics has been Just – Evotec Biologics’ mission right from the start,” said Werner Lanthaler, PhD, CEO of Evotec. “The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has underlined the need for flexible and nearshore biomanufacturing capacities. We are very grateful that through the support of the French government as well as all local institutions, we can now continue to deliver on this mission with the construction of Europe’s first J.POD® facility. This is critical for society.”

The Campus Curie site was recently expanded through the acquisition of Biopark by Sanofi. Evotec has been operating in France since 2015. Construction of the J.POD® 2 EU facility is expected to begin during the second half of 2021, and to be fully operational in 2023.

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