PacificGMP and Pacific Biopharma Group to Create cGMP CMO in China

PacificGMP (San Diego, CA) and Pacific Biopharma Group (San Diego, CA) have signed a merger agreement to develop a cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) biologics contract manufacturing organization (CMO) in Taizhou, China. At approximately 200,000 square feet, the Taizhou-based CMO, called China Quantitative Biomedicine (CQB), will be one of the largest single-use biomanufacturing facilities in the US or China. Construction of the facility in Taizhou is expected to be completed in August 2008, with internal construction and equipment installation expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Under conditions of the merger agreement, PacificGMP will receive funds to expand its operation in San Diego and assist in the development of the Taizhou facility and preparations for FDA and EMEA audits. The new facility is a showcase laboratory and part of a new biopharmaceutical park called China Medical City (CMC). CMC is a 12-km2-life sciences-focused science park located in Jiangsu Province, the leading pharmaceutical manufacturing province in China. The facility will be modeled after PacificGMP’s San Diego facility that uses single-use technology throughout the biomanufacturing process. Single-use technology has fewer system requirements than traditional reusable biomanufacturing systems and significantly reduces the cost of product manufacturing.