Avid Bioservices to plug capacity gap with new viral vector manufacturing facility

The biologics CDMO says it expects its new 53,000-sq.ft facility will be operational within 18 months

A further impetus behind the expansion is the CDMO industry’s overall lack of proven, high-quality CGMP manufacturing expertise and capacity for viral vectors.

Although the entire facility expansion is expected to take up to 18 months and cost $65–75 million, its new analytical and process development laboratories should be operational within six to eight months.

Avid has recently invested in growing its existing biologics manufacturing capacity at its Myford site, by expanding its footprint to include a second manufacturing train with upstream and downstream processing suites.

The expansion into viral vector services, combined with the addition of the potential annual revenue generating increases associated with the ongoing Myford expansion, could bring the company’s total annual revenue generating capacity to more than $350 million.

Avid's president and CEO Nicholas Green said the company feels that the addition of viral vector services puts it in a strong position to "add significant value to innovator companies in gene and cell therapy that are struggling to find reliable and collaborative outsourcing partners".