GE launches modular pharma factory

Singapore: GE Healthcare introduced KUBio, an innovative off-the-shelf, modular factory, designed to save manufacturers of biopharmaceuticals both time and money.

KUBio's pre-made modules, which are assembled at a customer's chosen site to make a fully functional ready-to-run bioprocessing facility, are significantly faster to install than constructing a traditional factory. The modules are equipped with GE Healthcare's world-class technologies for the start-to-finish manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.

KUBio is a fully functional off-the-shelf bioprocessing facility specifically designed to meet cGMP requirements while optimizing manufacturing flexibility and productivity. The 1,200 square meter facility is pre-fabricated and delivered with a complete ready-to-use production line, based on GE Healthcare's Ready-to-Process single-use technologies.

With a total planning, delivery and construction time of 14-to-18 months, compared to the traditional 24-to-36 months, both time-to-market and level of capital investment are significantly reduced. The first modular facilities to be introduced will be configured for the manufacture of monoclonal antibodies.

Mr Olivier Loeillot, GM, enterprise solutions, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said that, "We're already seeing interest from a wide range of customers, from governments wanting to develop in-country manufacturing capability right through to pharmaceutical companies wanting to expand production capacity in new locations. KUBio is an industry game-changer that will help them do just that."