CMO Gallus taps Xcellerex for single-use capacity

Fledgling contract manufacturer Gallus Biopharmaceuticals sees something it likes in Xcellerex single-use technology--quick capacity expansion. The two companies agreed this week to a multi-piece deal that will equip Gallus with not just the means for quick manufacturing capacity expansion, but also single-use gear for drug development work.

Gallus had acquired J&J Centocor's FDA-approved, commercially certified biologics manufacturing plant in St. Louis, which makes Remicade and Stelara. The CMO is expanding the facility for capacity, the addition of a clinical services suite and the expansion of an existing development lab. The Xcellerex deal marks Gallus's first equipment purchase.

The company says it will invest $20 million on the facility. It plans to eventually add 160 employees to the 160 already employed there. The average salary at Gallus is reportedly $88,500.

Gallus apparently walked into the Xcellerex showroom presold on the FlexFactory platform and components. In addition to single-use XDR bioreactors for commercial manufacturing capacity expansion, the CMO ordered small-scale (10-liter) bioreactors for its development lab. It also ordered a turnkey FlexFactory cGMP manufacturing line with XDR single-use bioreactors to 2,000 liters for clinical trial supply production.

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