Building big for biologics in Billingham

Avecia Biotechnology's biologics operations are concentrated at Billingham in the UK, where the company is building its US$100m LSABC, due for full completion during 2005.

The largest purpose-built facility of its kind in the world, it will have a capacity of 40,000l and the ability to run four large-scale production campaigns simultaneously. First stage production operations, with the first 10,000l of new capacity, are due on stream later this summer.

The facility builds on the success of Avecia's current Advanced Biologics Centre at Billingham, which has been producing protein-based vaccines and new medicines for early clinical trials since 1998. Avecia is also the world's largest manufacturer of oligonucleotides for DNA medicines, with key production centres at Milford, MA., US, and at Grangemouth in Scotland.