Symbiosis Acquires New Bioprocess Facility in Stirling, Scotland

Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services, a CMO, purchased new premises in Stirling, Scotland. The additional space will increase manufacturing capacity, strengthen the current Symbiosis commercial manufacturing service offering, and expedite the fast delivery of client’s sterile injectable drug products to clinical trials and to commercial markets, according to company officials.

Close to its existing manufacturing cleanrooms, testing laboratories, and GMP warehouse facilities in Stirling, the purchase will double the company’s existing footprint to 43,500 ft² (4,000 m²).

The new facility and service extension project, supported by a grant from Scottish Enterprise totaling £4.3m ($5.5m), will be implemented over a three-year period as part of a wider £26m ($34.2m) financial commitment by Symbiosis to drive the growth of the company, which includes the addition of automated sterile manufacturing production line capabilities to extend the commercial fill/finish services that Symbiosis offers its clients by increasing the maximum batch size to 15,000 vials.

Two new cleanroom-based GMP production lines

The new manufacturing facility design also includes two new cleanroom-based GMP automated production lines to increase the companies’ total aseptic fill/finish manufacturing capacity. The visual inspection of vials post-production, and the labelling processes have also been fully automated.

Additionally, this investment in the latest automated technology will enhance operational flexibility to accommodate the GMP sterile manufacture of a range of drug modalities and also product-specific manufacturing processes defined by clients, noted Symbiosis CEO Colin MacKay, who pointed out that the increased batch output from the additional production lines will enhance Symbiosis’ clinical stage and commercial pharmaceutical supply capacity to service a new and existing global biotechnology and pharmaceutical company client base.

“By investing in this new 20,000 ft² facility and the cutting-edge pharmaceutical manufacturing automation, Symbiosis has positioned itself to provide additional significant world-class aseptic manufacturing capacity for our existing and future clients globally and represents the next major strategic chapter in the successful and consistently fast-growing trajectory of Symbiosis,” said MacKay.

“This step-change in operational capacity and the addition of automation, while retaining the organizational and cultural strengths of a fantastic team here at Symbiosis, positions the company for sustained growth and the continued generation of value for clients and shareholders alike.”