Fujifilm Opens UK's Largest Single-Use Biopharma CDMO Facility

Fujifilm Biotechnologies has opened the largest single-use biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) facility in the United Kingdom at its Teesside site. The expansion, built at a cost of approximately £400 million ($545 million), will be operational within the first half of 2026 and represents the newest addition to the company's global manufacturing network.

The 110,000 square foot manufacturing facility houses a total of 19,000 liters of capacity in 2,000 and 5,000 liter single-use bioreactors for small- and mid-scale antibody manufacturing, with the flexibility to expand to support customer programs as needed. This is the first small- and mid-scale manufacturing site in the company's kojoX ecosystem, which provides partners with supply chain flexibility and agility.

In parallel, the company has opened its Bioprocess Innovation Centre UK, a high-tech laboratory for both high-throughput and continuous process development capabilities that will serve as a global center of excellence for biomanufacturing innovation. The over 102,200 square foot facility doubles the campus's existing lab footprint and complements the site's expanded Good Manufacturing Practice manufacturing capabilities.

The facility features the SymphonX downstream processing skid, an all-in-one equipment design to run all downstream unit operations across multiple scales. Through Fujifilm Biotechnologies' kojoX modular approach to biomanufacturing, the expanded UK operations will align with Fujifilm's biomanufacturing facility in Toyama, Japan, enabling rapid and seamless technology transfer capabilities.

"This site provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners with enhanced scalability, speed to market, and cross-site technology transfer, helping to ensure reliable medicine supply for patients in the UK and globally," said the president and CEO of Fujifilm Biotechnologies. "The opening of our UK expansion will enable us to support our partners' products from the process development stage to early clinical manufacturing – ranging from low-volume therapies for ultra-rare diseases to commercial biologics all from one site," added the chairman of Fujifilm Biotechnologies.

Together, these investments enhance the supply chain agility of the company's global manufacturing network and expand its capacity to develop and produce complex medicines for conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare disorders for world-leading biopharmaceutical companies. As part of Fujifilm Holdings' sustainability goals, the new manufacturing building will be fully electrified and will maximize the use of renewable energy going forward.