Fujifilm Expands Bioprocessing Scope

Fujifilm has announced on March 29, 2018 that it is acquiring cell culture media companies Irvine Scientific Sales Company and IS JAPAN in a stock purchase agreement for about $800 million, expanding the company’s product portfolio in biopharmaceuticals to include in-vitro fertilization and cell therapy.

According to a press statement announcing the acquisition, the company will apply the chemical synthesis and design capabilities cultivated in the photographic film business and the cell preparation and culturing technologies of its tissue engineering companies to accelerate the development of highly competitive cell culture media.

The company’s holdings include Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB) contract manufacturing for antibody drugs; Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), a manufacturer of Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technologies; and Wako Pure Chemical Industries, a reagent manufacturer.

The company also noted that the acquisitions will “maximize the synergies” within other areas, including expansion of its contact development and manufacturing business for biopharmaceuticals, accelerated research and development in the area of regenerative medicine, and expansion of its reagent business.

The company also announced plans to establish by March 2019 a new site for the marketing of products and services that support research and development, and manufacturing of new drugs, in Boston.

In addition, the company announced that CDI will be renamed Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics, Inc., and Wako Pure Chemical will be renamed Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, effective April 1, 2018.

Source: Fujifilm