Celltrion's third plant in Incheon / Courtesy of Celltrion
By Nam Hyun-woo
Biopharmaceutical company Celltrion said Thursday that it began the commercial operation of its third plant for drug substances.
According to the biotech firm, it recently completed the validation process for its plant in Songdo, Incheon, and has begun commercial operations at the 22,300-square-meter facility.
Celltrion has invested a total of 270 billion won ($190 million) from September 2021 to last month for the construction of the third plant with a production capacity of 60,000 liters. Combined with the 100,000-liter first plant and the 90,000-liter second plant, Celltrion’s total biopharmaceutical production capacity now stands at 250,000 liters per year.
Compared to the first and second plants, the third plant is focused on producing a wide variety of drug substances in small volumes, to anticipate demands and respond quickly to market changes.
Celltrion also noted that the plant will focus on producing high-titer products, which allow for the generation of more biopharmaceuticals from the same amount of culture medium, thereby achieving production output and revenue contributions comparable to existing facilities.
“As the third plant goes into commercial operation, Celltrion now boasts 250,000 liters of biopharmaceutical production capacity,” an official at Celltrion said. “We will maximize flexibility and efficiency under the multiproduct, small-batch production system, delivering high-quality biopharmaceuticals worldwide.”
Along with the new plant, the company is also constructing a drug product facility in Incheon, with plans to complete it by 2026 and begin commercial operations in 2027.
The company said the drug product plant will help Celltrion respond more swiftly to growing product demand by internalizing production capabilities. Celltrion plans to secure approvals for 22 products by 2030, including 11 by next year.
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