SK pharmteco doubles viral vector production capacity in Europe

SK pharmteco, SK Inc.’s contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) for pharmaceuticals, successfully completed its second facility for Cell and Gene Therapies (C&GT) manufacturing in Europe. With this milestone, SK pharmteco is rapidly expanding its presence in the global market.

SK pharmteco announced on June 22nd that Yposkesi, its commercial viral vector manufacturing subsidiary for C&GT in France, successfully completed the construction of its second industrial bioproduction site for C&GT manufacturing.

Yposkesi's second bioproduction site is situated in its Genopole campus, the largest biotech cluster in France. The newly completed site is a 5,000 m2 facility designed in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines of the US and Europe. Together with the first bioproduction site, which is also located in the Genopole campus, Yposkesi now boasts one of Europe's largest biomanufacturing facility for C&GT that spans 10,000 m2.

The new site specializes in the bioproduction of Adeno-associated virus (AAV) and Lentiviral Vector (LV) – the widely used viral vectors in the field of cell and gene therapies, spanning from clinical to commercial applications. Viral vectors are utilized as carriers, delivering genes into targeted cells and the entire body.

Yposkesi has more experience than most players at producing viral vectors at an industrial scale. With commitments from multiple clients already secured for the second facility, the company is preparing for mass production in 2024. According to the global research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global viral vector market, estimated at $5.5 billion (KRW 7.5 trillion) in 2023 and forecast to reach $12.8 billion (KRW 16.5 trillion) by 2028, is projected to increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 18%.

Yposkesi is poised to enhance its global presence due to the increasing demand for viral vectors and few cGMP-compliant facilities for large-scale production.

Furthermore, Yposkesi is rapidly expanding its presence in the anti-cancer and immune cell therapy market with the introduction of LentiSure™, a platform designed to optimize higher yields of Lentiviral Vectors.

Lentivirus, a prominent viral vector utilized in gene therapy and cell-based immune anticancer drugs, has experienced a surge in demand, driven by the expanding CAR-T cell therapy* market. Yposkesi, leveraging its high-yield cell culture/harvesting capabilities and cost competitiveness, has successfully ensured exceptional quality and time to market delivery of Lentiviral Vectors.

“It is with great pleasure and pride that today we open the new Yposkesi viral vector manufacturing facility,” said Alain Lamproye, CEO of Yposkesi. “This twin site enables us to stay up to pace with demand by producing larger quantities of C&GT products approved for commercialization. The facility’s state-of-the-art design will allow us, in collaboration with our clients, to manufacture advanced therapies more efficiently and cost-effectively in line with their C&GT pipelines and commitments, making these treatments more accessible to patients.”

"We anticipate Yposkesi to become a leading global Cell and Gene Therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) through the synergy achieved with the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), a US-based cell and gene therapy CDMO and a subsidiary of SK pharmteco,” said Yeontae Kim, Head of the Bio Investment Center at SK Inc.

In 2019, SK Inc. established SK pharmteco, a globally integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for pharmaceuticals. SK pharmteco operates seven production facilities and five R&D centers strategically located across the United States, Europe, and Korea. As a subsidiary of SK Inc., SK pharmteco expanded its presence in the rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry by acquiring Yposkesi in 2021, gaining entry into the cell and gene therapy market. Furthermore, in 2022, SK pharmteco became the second largest shareholder of the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, a leading cell and gene therapy CDMO in the United States, thereby securing state-of-the-art production facilities for cell and gene therapy in both Europe and the United States.