Barely more than two years into its existence, a name change may be in order for National Resilience.
On Thursday, the San Diego-based manufacturer unveiled a plan to build a factory in the United Arab Emirates that will churn out vaccines and therapeutics for cancer, infectious diseases and other disorders.
Formerly limited to 10 sites in the United States and Canada, Resilience is going overseas for the first time, bolstered by funding from the state-owned Mubadala Investment Company.
The plant will be part of the company’s network of sites and become the first Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility in the region, Resilience said.
“This is a significant milestone,” said Resilience CEO Rahul Singhvi, Sc.D. “We look forward to working alongside America’s allies in the region.”
Established in November of 2020 as a first-of-its-kind manufacturer dedicated to broadening access to medicines and protecting biopharmaceutical supply chains against disruption, Resilience has made noise in its short life with big pharma players. Resilience manufactures COVID-19 vaccines for Moderna at its site in Ontario and produces plasma-derived therapies for Takeda at the same facility.
Three months ago, Resilience purchased a 580,000-square-foot plant from AstraZeneca in West Chester, Ohio, and agreed to continue to manufacture some AZ products there.
The UAE has been similarly aggressive in increasing its presence in the industry. Less than a month ago, the government was instrumental in facilitating a deal between AZ and local company G42 Healthcare to make drugs in Abu Dhabi.