Fujifilm names North Carolina as location for $2 billion large-scale cell manufacturing site

CDMO subsidiary Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies will operate the site which is expected to be operational in 2025

Fujifilm’s CDMO subsidiary, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB) will operate the site, which will host large-scale cell culture manufacturing of bulk drug substance production with 8 x 20,000L bioreactors, with additional 24 x 20,000L bioreactor capacity earmarked, based on market demand.

The facility will also provide commercial scale, automated fill-finish and assembly, packaging, and labelling services. It will employ 725 workers by the end of 2028 and is expected to be operational by spring 2025.

In a statement, Fujifilm said that after a “rigorous data-driven” evaluation process, “Holly Springs…was selected for its strong pool of technical talent, local resources and partners with the right competencies, clean energy resources, and sustainability for future growth.”

FDB already has a facility in Morrisville, North Carolina as well as other development and manufacturing plants in the US, the UK and Denmark.

At the start of this year, Fujifilm announced it was investing 4 billion yen ($40 million) in FDB to build a new process development and manufacturing facility for viral vectors and advanced therapies in the greater-Boston area, which is scheduled to begin process development operation this autumn.