Tokyo-(Business Wire)–Kanika Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Minoru Tanaka) (TOKYO:4118) has decided to increase its GMP*1 mRNA production capacity*2 Kaneka Eurogentec SA (Headquarters: Liege, Belgium; President: Lieven Janssens) is a wholly owned group company in Europe. We plan to start sequential operations from the end of 2023, with a capital investment of 2 billion yen and a production capacity that is about 5 times the current production capacity. Kaneka Eurogentec SA to grow into a leading biopharmaceutical CDMO*3in response to the strong global demand for mRNA.
mRNA has been rapidly applied in vaccines against COVID-19, and is expected to be applied not only to vaccines for other infectious diseases, but also to the treatment of genetic diseases, cancer, etc. As global pharmaceutical companies aggressively develop biopharmaceutical pipelines, the need for mRNA GMP manufacturing will increase dramatically.
Kaneka Eurogentec SA is a biopharmaceutical CDMO approved by the US FDA*4 Possess world-class plasmid DNA production technology*5 and GMP manufacturing track record for over 25 years.They offer plasmid DNA, recombinant proteins, oligonucleotides*6 And so on, as an API for global pharmaceutical companies. In addition, Kaneka Eurogentec SA has started the GMP manufacturing service of mRNA since 2020, and this capacity expansion will be used to expand the CDMO business.
Regarding the priority areas of healthcare, Kaneka will continue to provide solutions to global health problems through the growth of its biopharmaceutical business.
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*1. |
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice): A system that ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. |
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*2. |
mRNA: An RNA molecule that transcribes genetic information for protein synthesis from DNA. It is expected to be used as a vaccine and therapeutic agent. |
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*3. |
CDMO: Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. |
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*4. |
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): The U.S. government agency that approves and oversees products that consumers may use in their daily lives, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices, veterinary drugs, and toys. |
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*5. |
Plasmid DNA: A general term for circular DNA molecules that exist outside the nucleus of bacteria such as Escherichia coli and yeast and are passed on to daughter cells through cell division. |
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It is commonly used in the process of producing biopharmaceuticals such as therapeutic proteins, and in recent years has been applied to genetic medicines and vaccines. |
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*6. |
Oligonucleotide: A short polymeric sequence of nucleotides (RNA or DNA). Used as raw material for nucleic acid therapeutics. |
[General description of Kaneka Eurogentec S.A.]
Headquarters: Liege, Belgium
President: Levin Janssens
Business description: Manufacture and sales of proteins, nucleic acids and peptides for pharmaceutical, diagnostic and basic research purposes
Established: 1985
Capital: 31 million euros
URL: http://www.eurogentec.com/
