Sanofi expands Belgian site to augment manufacturing capabilities

Sanofi is to spend 300 million euros (236 million pounds) to expand the manufacturing capabilities of its facility in Geel, Belgium.

The company hopes to adapt and expand its existing production capabilities at the site to support its pipeline of monoclonal antibodies, with updates to include the development of new laboratories focused on quality control and manufacturing sciences.

To date, 600 million euros have been spent on developing the Geel site, which began industrial biotech activities in 2001. It is currently responsible for global production of a protein therapy for Pompe disease, produced using cell cultures in large bioreactors.

Following this new investment, 8,000 sq m of manufacturing floor space will be added, enabling the facility to increase its overall production capacity and diversify to other drugs and therapeutic areas, while also creating new jobs.

Philippe Luscan, executive vice-president for global industrial affairs and president of Sanofi in France, said: "We have a robust development pipeline of biological molecules, including monoclonal antibodies, and this investment furthers our work and expertise in key disease areas such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and atopic dermatitis."

This will support the company's strategic goal of launching several new biologic therapies in the next few years.