LOTTE BIOLOGICS, a contract development and manufacturing organisation based in South Korea, uses its facility in East Syracuse, New York, for the process development and manufacturing of biologics.
The good manufacturing practices facility serves as the hub for LOTTE’s North American operations, leading its new venture into biologics contract development and manufacturing.
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LOTTE BIOLOGICS acquired the facility from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) for $160m in January 2023.
Additionally, BMS has established a new contract manufacturing organisation relationship with LOTTE, in which the company produces products for BMS at the Syracuse facility.
East Syracuse facility background
More than 60 years old, the East Syracuse campus was launched in 1943.
The pharmaceutical manufacturing facility made nearly 70% of the penicillin produced in the world until the mid-2000s.
The facility had developed a bulk active antibiotic that constitutes the active pharmaceutical ingredient for producing penicillin.
However, in the 2000s, the facility鈥檚 operations had shifted to developing processes to manufacture biologics or medicines made from plant and animal-derived cells.
LOTTE BIOLOGICS鈥� East Syracuse pharmaceutical manufacturing facility details
The state-of-the-art site is a large campus of 118 buildings.
Spread over 90 acres, it accommodates vital facilities such as the latest biotechnology process development laboratories.
Additionally, approximately 1.2 million square feet of space is dedicated to administration, research and manufacturing. State-of-the-art equipment within the facility includes 5,000-litre fermentation bioreactors.
The Syracuse facility can make biologic medicines for clinical trials and commercial drug launches. Full-scale production can be carried out in smaller volumes.
The facility develops biologics by growing animal or plant-derived cells in highly controlled environments.
The cells are mixed with the correct amount of oxygen and nutrients and kept for the right time limit, temperature, and pH.
During the process, the cells produce proteins that are harvested, purified and made into biologic drugs that treat a host of diseases, including cancer, arthritis and diabetes.
East Syracuse facility renovation details
A renovation project was initiated in 2010, aimed to transform the site from a penicillin-manufacturing facility into a park-type biotech research centre.
The project involved an investment of more than $10m.
Completed in 2013, the project involved the demolition of 50 buildings on the campus, which became obsolete and remained idle since penicillin production was phased out in the mid-2000s.
The first phase in the site鈥檚 transformation established green areas and demolished structures related to previous antibiotic manufacturing.
Buildings that accommodate laboratories, administration and manufacturing, occupying more than 500,000ft虏 of space, were torn down during this phase.
The demolition freed nearly 42% of the total square footage of the campus.
The previous laboratories were renovated to host wet chemistry and instrument labs. Four buildings, including chemical laboratories and office areas, were combined.
The second phase saw the end of more obsolete structures. It included the demolition of the administration building at the plant鈥檚 entrance from Thompson Road, which is one of the few buildings visible to the public from the road.
A total of 150,000ft虏 of space was demolished.
The project reduced the facility鈥檚 total operating expenditure and total energy consumption. Other green elements of the project included reusing and recycling the materials.
However, no new structures were built as part of the project.
Contractors involved
The lead contractor for the renovation project was Hueber-Breuer Construction. The contract included design and construction services.
The company undertook activities such as expanding good manufacturing compliance and adding capacities for simultaneous production and bioreactor harvest with centrifuge technology.
It also renovated the utilities and support systems within the facility.
