Strides Arcolab's arm to set up $60-mn biopharma facility in Malaysia

Stelis Biopharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Strides Arcolab Limited, has begun construction work for its customised, multi-product, biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at Bio-Xcell Biotechnology Park in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia. The facility, to be built with an investment of $ 60 million (about Rs 360 crore), will incorporate ‘next-gen’ single-use bio-processing technology with both mammalian and microbial manufacturing suites.
 
Joe Thomas, CEO of Stelis Biopharma, said, “Stelis is pleased to commence work on its flagship biopharmaceutical facility in Malaysia. With its strong commitment to bio-economy, attractive incentives, quality infrastructure and enabling ecosystem, we are confident of making this our bio-manufacturing hub for regional and global markets.”
 
The construction and fit-out of the facility is expected to be completed in 24 months and commercial operations are targeted to begin mid-2017 at Bio-XCell Park. When complete, the facility will be one of the few regulated market approvable facilities in the region with end-to-end capability including sterile fill-finish across all formats. The facility will also house an R&D unit to conduct scale-up and process development studies. 
 
Stelis Biopharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Strides subsidiary constructing this facility, will manufacture and commercialise its internal and partnered pipeline of bio-pharmaceuticals as well as cater to the demand for high-quality contract manufacturing  and clinical supplies. At peak operations, the facility will employ 180 people in R&D, manufacturing, QA/QC, analytical and regulatory, of which a significant number will be local employees.