Novartis Investing $300 M for Early-Stage Biologics Technical Development

Novartis has announced a multi-year $300-million investment to bolster its capacity and capabilities for early technical development of biologics for both drug substances and drug products across existing Novartis sites in Switzerland, Slovenia, and Austria.

With the investment, the company is seeking to build end-to-end development and manufacturing environments by embedding biologics development within existing Novartis commercial manufacturing facilities in Slovenia and Austria as well as by establishing a biologic’s hub on the company’s St. Johann campus in Basel, Switzerland.

Specifically, the investment will be split into: (1) $100 million to strengthen the company’s St. Johann campus in Basel, Switzerland, to establish a biologics hub to complement the company’s existing Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research’s Biologics Center; (2) $110 million to create a biocampus for clinical manufacturing (non cGMP and cGMP) and technical development capabilities in Mengeš, Slovenia; and (3) $60 million for development manufacturing capacity and capabilities in its Schaftenau, Austria campus.

Source: Novartis