Manufacturing
Eli Lilly is aggressively ramping up its manufacturing capacity for tirzepatide as compounding pharmacies continue to challenge an FDA decision to formally end the shortage of the obesity and diabetes drug.
It is not clear what specifically the new facility will produce, though Amgen could be ramping up its manufacturing capacity as it prepares to enter the obesity space with MariTide.
In recent months Novo Nordisk has invested several billions of dollars to boost its manufacturing capacity—including its highly contested $16.5 billion merger with CDMO giant Catalent.
Novo Holdings’ acquisition of Catalent has ignited concerns from industry stakeholders, who fear that the consolidation could limit competition, but there is also the possibility that the deal could represent an opportunity for smaller-scale CDMOs to find new partners.
With Novo Holdings’ $16.5 billion buyout of Catalent being reviewed by regulators, what work the contract drug manufacturer may or may not be performing for Eli Lilly remains a point of contention.
The five-year investment will go toward the construction of a new R&D facility in Beijing to develop innovative therapies and integrate the world’s second most populated country into the company’s global strategy.
The contract manufacturer fell short of Wall Street’s projections for its first quarter of fiscal 2025, which ended Sept. 30, 2024. The miss comes amid growing opposition to Novo Holdings’ proposed $16.5 billion acquisition of Catalent.
Lilly CEO Dave Ricks in Wednesday’s third-quarter earnings call acknowledged that the company is at the mercy of wholesaler stocking decisions.
As the Chinese contract manufacturer awaits the U.S. Senate’s consideration of the BIOSECURE Act, it has added 800 new customers in the first nine months of 2024, while being hit with a 2% revenue decline in the third quarter.
With an upfront payment of $50 million from Roche, the partnership will leverage Dyno Therapeutics’ in vivo gene therapy delivery technology, which synthesizes virus capsids with better functionality and manufacturability.
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