Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and Biomay Cooperate in GMP Manufacturing of Plasmid DNA (February 1, 2010)

Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, one of the global leaders in the production of biopharmaceuticals and Biomay, a new player in the field of contract manufacturing of GMP biopharmaceuticals at small scale, announced today their collaboration in providing contract manufacturing services for GMP-grade plasmid DNA. The collaboration includes a transfer of Boehringer Ingelheim’s plasmid DNA manufacturing technology to Biomay facilities. Both partners will also coordinate the marketing activities of their complementary plasmid DNA services.

The collaboration offers a comprehensive solution for GMP-grade plasmid DNA from milligram to gram quantities provided by Biomay, and from gram to kilogram quantities supplied by Boehringer Ingelheim RCV. This concept will ensure use of competitive plasmid DNA technology and uninterrupted supply of product from early clinical development to commercial, thereby reducing time-to-market significantly. 

Biomay´s CEO Max Bayerl commented: “This collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim RCV as one of the leading plasmid DNA manufacturers will position Biomay as a small but important international player in the business of GMP-grade plasmid DNA contract manufacturing. We are now ideally prepared for GMP production of plasmids for third party clients as well as for our own allergy DNA vaccine program. With the technology provided by Boehringer Ingelheim RCV, Biomay can now offer their premier services at an attractive price-performance ratio.”

Dr. Monika Henninger-Erber, Vice President Industrial Customer Business & Product Supply at Boehringer Ingelheim RCV, elaborates: “We are very pleased that our cutting edge plasmid DNA technology is now also accessible for early-stage clients who require smaller amounts of GMP-grade plasmid DNA as offered by Biomay. Our applied technology will secure scalability, product comparability, high yields and attractive pricing throughout the development chain. Besides, our clients will find the high quality services they are used to expect from Boehringer Ingelheim. The local vicinity of both Vienna based companies and their good business relationship is another key benefit for our customers”.

About Boehringer Ingelheim:
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies.  Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 138 affiliates in 47 countries and 41,300 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the independent, family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, located in Vienna, is a 100 % affiliate of the Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, the largest privately owned pharmaceutical company in the world. In the early 80s, the Austrian affiliate pioneered the microbial production of proteins and has continued to develop its expertise ever since. In the meantime, Boehringer Ingelheim is recognised as one of the world’s premier Contract Manufacturing Organisations offering - as a “one-stop-shop” - the complete range of services from cell banking to large scale GMP manufacture of drug substance and drug product.

The site in Vienna is specialised in the development and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals derived from microbial fermentation technology. Committed to technology leadership, it is applying high-yield expression systems (bacteria and yeast), media design, matrix assisted refolding, crystallisation and efficient downstream processing for the production of plasmid DNA products, proteins, antibody fragments and protein scaffolds. Today, the company operates 3 GMP plants with a capacity of up to 12,000 L. The facilities are approved “multi-product” facilities for the manufacture of products registered with EMEA and the FDA.

For more information about Boehringer Ingelheim’s biopharmaceutical business, please visit http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/biopharm/home/home.htm.

Contact: biopharma(at)boehringer-ingelheim.com

About Biomay:
The Vienna based Biomay AG develops vaccines for the specific immunotherapy and prevention of allergic diseases. Founded in 1984, Biomay has pioneered the field of recombinant allergens in cooperation with its strong academic network. Biomay´s product candidates are based on recombinant allergen derivatives (hypoallergens) and nucleic acids. With an excellent safety profile, they have the potential for prophylactic use. In addition, Biomay is a  contract manufacturer for clinical-grade recombinant proteins, plasmid-DNA and minicircles, produced with microbial systems. Biomay´s CMO services include cell banking, process and assay development, GMP manufacturing, quality control, stability testing and regulatory support.

For more information: www.biomay.com

Contact: h.huber(at)biomay.com

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(Vienna, February 1, 2010)