GE Healthcare launches prefabricated modular biopharmaceutical factory

Published: 5-Sep-2012

Innovative approach will save biopharmaceutical manufacturers time and money

GE Healthcare has launched KUBio, an innovative off-the-shelf, modular factory designed to save manufacturers of biopharmaceuticals both time and money. It will help manufacturers to respond to local healthcare needs and bring potentially life-saving treatments to market more quickly.

KUBio is a fully functional off-the-shelf bioprocessing facility specifically designed to meet cGMP requirements while optimising manufacturing flexibility and productivity. Pre-made modules are assembled at a customer’s chosen site to make a fully functional ready-to-run bioprocessing facility.

The 1200m2 facility is pre-fabricated and delivered with a complete ready-to-use production line, based on GE Healthcare’s Ready-to-Process single-use technologies. With a total planning, delivery and construction time of 14 – 18 months, compared with 24 – 36 months for constructing a traditional factory, both time-to-market and level of capital investment are significantly reduced.

The first modular facilities to be introduced will be configured for the manufacture of monoclonal antibodies. GE Healthcare also plans to introduce modules for the manufacture of other biopharmaceuticals.

‘KUBio is a totally new approach to the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, bringing our customers a greatly simplified way to build their production capacity,’ said Olivier Loeillot, General Manager of Enterprise Solutions, GE Healthcare Life Sciences. ‘With KUBio our customers will be able to cut months off the typical construction time, and greatly streamline the whole construction process.

‘We’re already seeing interest from a wide range of customers, from governments wanting to develop in-country manufacturing capability through to pharmaceutical companies wanting to expand production capacity in new locations. KUBio is an industry game-changer that will help them do just that.’

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