REG - Oxford Biomedica PLC - OXB receives approval for fourth suite in Oxbox

Oxford BioMedicaAnnouncement

06/10/2020 07:01

RNS Number : 1463B
  
Oxford Biomedica PLC
  
06 October 2020
  
 

 
 
Oxford Biomedica receives MHRA approval for fourth manufacturing suite in Oxbox
 
          
Oxford, UK - 6 October, 2020: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:OXB) ("Oxford Biomedica" or "the Group"), a leading gene and cell therapy group, announced today that the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a Certificate of GMP compliance for the fourth GMP manufacturing suite within the Group's new Oxbox manufacturing facility.
 
Oxbox is Oxford Biomedica's new 7,800 m2 commercial manufacturing centre, located in Oxford, UK. Phase I of Oxbox is 4,200 m2 of developed area consisting of six GMP manufacturing suites - four for viral vector production and two for fill-finish, along with warehousing, cold chain facilities and support laboratories. Construction and commissioning of Phase I was completed at the end of 2019. This approval by the MHRA follows the initial approval of the first two Oxbox suites in May 2020, and the subsequent approval of the third suite in September.
 
This world class facility is suitable for the manufacture of a variety of viral vectors and the approval of this fourth suite completes a phase of expansion that more than doubles Oxford Biomedica's manufacturing capacity compared to 2019, supporting further growth in revenues and partner programmes.
 
Both this suite and the suite approved in September will be operating at 1000L scale and at present will be dedicated to the manufacture of a COVID-19 viral vector vaccine candidate. Equipment for these two suites has been provided by VMIC (Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre) following the agreement signed with VMIC in June 2020.
 
As previously announced the instalment of the equipment for the first fill-finish suite is progressing well and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Phase II will provide for the flexible expansion of up to a further six GMP clean room suites.
 
 
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica, said: "We are delighted that we now have all four GMP suites in Oxbox operational, more than doubling our manufacturing capacity from 2019. I want to personally thank all of those at Oxford Biomedica who have worked tirelessly to bring these suites on-line so quickly to enable the manufacturing at scale of the vaccine candidate. We also want to thank VMIC for their support with the rapid deployment of their equipment to our site, which has played a key part in achieving the operational readiness of these suites in this short timeframe."
 
 
 
 
 
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Enquiries:








 
Oxford Biomedica plc 
 
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer
Stuart Paynter, Chief Financial Officer
Catherine Isted, Head of Corporate Development & IR
 


 
 
 
T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
T: +44 (0)1865 783 000
T: +44 (0)1865 954 161 / E: ir@oxb.com
 




 
Consilium Strategic Communications 
 
Mary-Jane Elliott/Matthew Neal 


 
 
 
T: +44 (0)20 3709 5700



 
 
 
 
About Oxford Biomedica
Oxford Biomedica (LSE:OXB) is a leading, fully integrated, gene and cell therapy group focused on developing life changing treatments for serious diseases. Oxford Biomedica and its subsidiaries (the "Group") have built a sector leading lentiviral vector delivery platform (LentiVector®), which the Group leverages to develop in vivo and ex vivo products both in-house and with partners. The Group has created a valuable proprietary portfolio of gene and cell therapy product candidates in the areas of oncology, ophthalmology, CNS disorders, liver diseases and respiratory disease. The Group has also entered into a number of partnerships, including with Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Axovant Gene Therapies, Orchard Therapeutics, Santen, Beam Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium and Imperial Innovations, through which it has long-term economic interests in other potential gene and cell therapy products. Additionally the group has signed a 3 year master supply and development agreement with AstraZeneca for large-scale manufacturing of the adenoviral based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222. Oxford Biomedica is based across several locations in Oxfordshire, UK and employs more than 580 people. Further information is available at www.oxb.com
 
About Oxbox
Oxbox is Oxford Biomedica's new 7,800 m2 commercial manufacturing centre, located in Oxford, UK. Phase I, which became operational in 2020, is 4,200 m2 of developed area consisting of six Good Manufacturing Practice ("GMP") clean room suites - four for vector production and two for fill-finish, warehousing and cold chain facilities and support laboratories. The Company received MHRA approval for the first two suites in Oxbox in May 2020 and second two suites in September and October 2020. Phase II will provide for flexible expansion for a further six GMP clean room suites. This world class facility will more than double Oxford Biomedica's manufacturing capacity compared to 2019, supporting further growth in revenues.
 
 

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