SOMERSET, NJ, September 20, 2011 — Catalent Pharma Solutions, a leading provider of drug and biologic development services, delivery technologies and supply solutions, and Toyobo Biologics, Inc. (TBI) jointly announced today that they have entered into a partnership agreement to co-promote Catalent’s proprietary GPEx® technology in the Japanese market. TBI is a major biologics supplier and the only contract provider of large scale clinical and commercial bioreactors in Japan.
GPEx® technology is used for mammalian cell line development. It creates stable, high expression cell lines that will speed biologics drug development to clinic in one-third the time of traditional approaches.
“TBI’s leadership as a major supplier in Japan creates an ideal partnership that will enable us to elevate our customer service offering in the region,” said Kent Payne, Vice President and General Manager of Catalent’s Development Services business. “Together, Catalent and Toyobo can now offer an advanced cell line development solution for customers in the Japanese market, from gene expression through commercialization of product.” TBI owns and operates a state of the art GMP manufacturing plant with bioreactor trains ranging from 100L up to 4,000L located in Shiga, Japan. “Toyobo’s bioreactor capacity is a great match with the high expression levels delivered by the GPEx® technology,” stated Dr. Payne. Toyobo’s established business reputation in the Japanese market with a large existing base of pharmaceutical companies makes the partnership a natural synergy to co-promote our GPEx® technology.
“We are confident TBI’s strong position in the Japanese market, combined with access to Catalent’s proprietary GPEx® technology, will create new opportunities to enhance our ability to serve our customers in the region,” stated Yukihiro Sogabe, President, TBI. “We look forward to capitalizing on these opportunities and leveraging future successes together.”
About GPEx® Technology
Using a retrovector technology, GPEx® ensures the stable transduction of targeted cells, approaching 100% efficiency. This level of efficiency eliminates the requirement for selectable markers, allowing stable clonal cell lines to be produced in less than five months. GPEx® technology has a proven track record of success with a wide variety of mammalian cell types and proteins, having produced over 200 different antibodies globally and more than 60 recombinant proteins.
For more information about Catalent Pharma Solutions and GPEx® technology, please visit
http://www.catalent.com/index.php#development/biologics/gpex.
To learn more about TBI, please visit http://www.toyobobiologics.com/index_e.html.
About Toboyo Biologics, Inc.
Toyobo Biologics, Inc. (TBI)was established as a standalone entity in November 2001, as a spin off from the pharmaceuticals division of Toyobo Co., Ltd. (http://www.toyobo-global.com/) which has been involved in development of biopharmaceuticals using mammalian cell culture technology. Now TBI has become the leading company in Japan that can be entrusted for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals under GMP conditions. TBI has extensive experience with a wide range of cell types and protein drug candidates such as: antibodies and biosimilars. For more information, visit http://www.toyobobiologics.com/index_e.html
About Catalent
From drug and biologic development services to delivery technologies to supply solutions, Catalent Pharma Solutions has the deepest expertise, the broadest offerings and the most unique technologies in the industry. With over 75 years of experience, Catalent helps customers get more molecules to market faster, enhance product performance, and provide superior, reliable manufacturing and packaging solutions. Catalent employs more than 8,200 people at 24 facilities worldwide and in fiscal year 2010 generated more than $1.7 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, NJ. For more information, visit www.catalent.com.
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Media Contact: Patricia McGee
T +1(732) 537 6407
patricia.mcgee@catalent.com
