Kemwell to build Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility in India in Collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany

Kemwell completed the groundbreaking ceremony of a new biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Bangalore, India, in a strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany.

With this collaboration, Kemwell will complement their early clinical supply services ranging from full-service process development, manufacture, formulation and fill & finish at the cGMP manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India as a one-stop-shop through access to Boehringer Ingelheim’s cell line development with the BI HEX^® technology platform, followed by a preferred access to the large-scale commercial production of Boehringer Ingelheim at its facilities in Europe.  “Most importantly, Kemwell and Boehringer Ingelheim will provide the customer with state-of-the-art technology from Europe along with the benefit of low cost manufacturing from India”, says Anurag Bagaria, Vice-President of Kemwell.

Kemwell’s new 15,000 sq.mt. Greenfield state-of-the-art facility will be designed for process development, fermentation, purification and formulation of biologics for early-phase preclinical and clinical studies.  The facility will consist of a cGMP drug substance manufacturing facility and a sterile fill and finish facility for drug product with a floor for process development laboratories to support production of protein therapeutics from mammalian-cell culture or microbial fermentation.

The Kemwell Biologics factory will be located on the Kemwell site in Bangalore as it will share synergies with the other facilities on the site.  Kemwell has facilities dedicated for tablets, semi-solids and liquids manufacturing as well as pharmaceutical development services on the same site and can thus synergize its current competencies by using existing trained personnel in analytical and quality services at the new facility. 

Kemwell will also provide in-house experts in toxicology and clinical development and partner with Indian CROs to help customers manage toxicology and clinical studies in India.  Thus, the customer can benefit from low costs through the development process.

“Kemwell will continue its commitment to pure-play contract manufacturing and build on its extensive experience in contract manufacturing.  We find high opportunities for supplying monoclonal antibodies and are committed to provide these services in a timely and cost-effective manner”, says Anurag Bagaria, Vice-President of Kemwell.

”Through the partnership with Kemwell Biologics, Boehringer Ingelheim will strengthen its presence for biologic services in Asia, providing state of the art technologies for economic manufacturing of innovative, high quality biopharmaceuticals,” comments Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Rolf G. Werner, Corporate Senior Vice President of the Corporate Division

Biopharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, who was present at the groundbreaking ceremony in Bangalore.

 India is fast developing into a low-cost manufacturing partner for biopharmaceutical companies.  The vast pool of scientific talent, a world-class information technology industry, and a vibrant domestic market are positioning India to emerge as a significant spot on the global biotech map.  India is also home to the largest number of English speaking scientists outside the U.S.  The growth has been tremendous and today India has the largest number of USFDA facilities outside of the U.S.   

 Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka in south India, is touted as India’s biotechnology capital.  It boasts Biocon India Ltd., the first and largest biotech player in India, Astra Zeneca’s Research Headquarters, the Indian Institute of Science, the National Center of Biological Sciences, scores of startups oriented to informatics and genomics, and a number of venture companies looking to diversify from IT to the life sciences.