Pfizer has committed to building a $100 million gene therapy manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Specifically, Pfizer will expand an 11,000-square-foot plant in Sanford, North Carolina that it acquired last year when it bought Bamboo Therapeutics, a biotech company that specializes in gene therapies for certain rare diseases. Bamboo had previously acquired the facility from the University of North Carolina.
In December 2014, Pfizer entered a collaboration with Spark Therapeutics with the goal of developing and commercializing novel gene therapy-based treatments for hemophilia B using Spark’s bioengineered adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). Spark’s proprietary AAVs are delivery vehicles, or vectors, that carry the genetic codes that prompt the production of the factor IX (FIX) protein that is deficient in individuals with hemophilia B. AAVs deliver the genetic material into living cells via a single injection into the liver, to sustain therapeutic effect without causing disease or triggering significant immune responses. In early 2016 Pfizer also entered an exclusive license agreement with King’s College of London (KCL), to develop a series of AAVs to treat hemophilia.
“Pfizer is proud to further expand our presence in North Carolina, particularly as we build our leadership in gene therapy,” Lynn Bottone, site leader at Pfizer Sanford said in a statement. “We look forward to the next phase of this expansion as we build a clinical and commercial manufacturing facility.”
Source: FiercePharma, August 9, 2017
