DSM and Crucell Sign Agreement with Avid Bioservices to Serve as First Pre-Approved U.S. Contract Manufacturer of PER.C6(R) Cell Line Proteins
Wednesday June 25, 1:45 am ET
LEIDEN, Netherlands and PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- DSM Biologics and Crucell N.V. (Euronext, Nasdaq: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Avid Bioservices, Inc. of Tustin, California to join their Vendor Network. Under the terms of the agreement, Avid will be a pre-approved contract manufacturer (CMO) for licensees of the PER.C6® cell line located in the western U.S. Avid is the first U.S.-based contract manufacturer to be awarded this status.
Karen King, president of DSM Biologics notes, "We are confident that Avid's excellent reputation and service level will be instrumental in making the PER.C6® technology available to licensees on the West Coast, bringing our technology to a wider regional base as we continue to grow globally."
Steven W. King, president of Avid Bioservices added, "We are honored to achieve the distinction of being the first pre-approved U.S.-based CMO to manufacture proteins and antibodies using the PER.C6® cell line. The PER.C6® technology is recognized throughout our industry as providing important advantages compared to other platforms, including serum-free medium, scalability and high productivity levels making the system an ideal fit for Avid."
Crucell and DSM last week announced a breakthrough in the production of IgG antibodies using Crucell's PER.C6® technology. By employing the PER.C6® human cell line and DSM's proprietary XD(TM) technology, a record yield of over 27 grams per liter has been achieved.
The PER.C6® technology platform has been developed for the large-scale manufacture of biopharmaceutical products such as recombinant proteins, including monoclonal antibodies. Compared to conventional production technologies, the strengths of PER.C6® technology lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability and productivity under serum-free culture conditions.
Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Avid Bioservices is a wholly owned subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM - News).
surf's up......crikey
