SK pharmteco completes new plant, doubles viral vector production capacity

SK pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization under South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Friday that its French subsidiary Yposkesi has completed construction of its second manufacturing facility for cell and gene therapies (C>) in Europe.

Yposkesi’s second C> manufacturing site sits on 5,000 square meters of land in the Genopole campus, the largest biotech cluster in France. With the addition of the second site, Yposkesi’s biomanufacturing facilities for C> now span 10,000 square meters, doubling its manufacturing capacity.

The new manufacturing site, which has satisfied the good manufacturing practices guidelines of both US and Europe, will begin its commercial production by 2024, according to SK pharmteco.

“This twin site enables us to stay up to pace with demand by producing larger quantities of C> products approved for commercialization,” said Yposkesi CEO Alain Lamproye. The facility will allow the company “to manufacture advanced therapies more efficiently and cost-effectively in line with their C> pipelines and commitments,” he added.

The new production site will produce Adeno-associated virus and Lentiviral Vector – the widely used viral vectors in the field of cell and gene therapies.

Viral vectors are used as carriers, delivering genes into targeted cells and the entire body. Adeno-associated virus is often used in gene therapies, while Lentiviral Vector is used in cell therapies.

In line with the completion of construction, Yposkesi has secured several contract manufacturing orders for its second facility, SK pharmteco said. The company expected the second plant would enable Yposkesi to have better standing in the growing viral vector market.

According to the global research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global viral vector market in 2023 is estimated at $5.5 billion and expected to reach $12.8 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of around 18 percent.

"We anticipate Yposkesi to become a leading global cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization through the synergy achieved with the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, 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.