Boehringer to invest €230m in biologics R&D

Boehringer Ingelheim has revealed plans to invest €230m into a new Biologicals Development Center (BDC) set to be constructed at its Research and Development (R&D) site located in Biberach, Germany.

The new facility will feature a combination of biologicals analytical and process development, manufacturing for clinical studies and enhanced development capacity.

This increased capacity will cause growth in research pipeline and free up capacity for contract manufacturing. The BDC will primarily work on therapeutic areas with largely unmet medical need.

Expected to begin a staggered launch in 2020, the new development centre will employ 500 people.

Boehringer Ingelheim Development corporate senior vice-president Fridtjof Traulsen said: "The BDC is another key building block supporting the company’s long-term strategy for increasing the pipeline’s share of biologicals. This is particularly driven by two of our core areas, immune oncology and immunology.

"The BDC is another key building block supporting the company’s long-term strategy for increasing the pipeline’s share of biologicals."

"The share of new biological entities in Boehringer Ingelheim’s research pipeline has been consistently increasing over the past few years and has now reached 40%."

The investment in the new facility follow the company’s prior efforts to boost biopharmaceuticals development network in order to improve its capabilities for mammalian cell culture in this area.

Boehringer previously invested in a large scale biopharmaceuticals facility in Austria, a biopharmaceuticals building in China, and expansion of existing large scale biopharmaceutical capacities in the US.

Currently, the company’s biopharmaceuticals pipeline includes a humanised antibody fragment to selectively revert oral anticoagulant effect before urgent procedures, emergency surgery or in cases of uncontrolled bleeding.

In addition, Boehringer has developed an interleukin-36 receptor antibody for certain types of psoriasis, including generalised pustular psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease. Additional antibodies are also being evaluated for difficult to treat cancers.