Dutch life science company DSM, together with Agennix, a US developer of recombinant human lactoferrin, has opened a new manufacturing facility on DSM's fermentation site in Capua, Italy.
The facility, located just north of Naples, is dedicated to the commercial production of pharmaceutical grade recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF). RhLF is a protein found naturally in milk and other endocrine secretions and is believed to play an essential role in stimulating the body's immune system to fight cancer and infections, and protect against asthma and other allergic diseases.
"This project clearly reflects DSM's strategic choice to make further investments in the life science industry in general and in biotechnology in particular," saidHenk Numan, president of DSM Pharmaceutical Products. "Fermentation is one of DSM's core technologies and is widely applied in a variety of pharmaceuticals. The opening of the new facility is the reward for hard work by a dedicated project team that worked in very close collaboration with Agennix. We are proud of this success and we are looking forward to continuing the excellent collaboration with Agennix."
"The opening of this facility is an important milestone in Agennix's development of rhLF. It will expand our manufacturing capacity from tens of kilos to tons," added Rick Barsky, chief executive officer of Agennix.
These are busy times for the DSM with acquisitions and new factory openings marking 2002 including the purchase of the vitamin and fine chemicals division of Roche earlier this year.