Biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Scorpion Biological Services (Scorpion) announced a planned development partnership with a private developer, the State of Kansas, and local and university affiliates, which will support the construction of a new biodefense-focused large molecule and biologics biomanufacturing facility in Manhattan, Kansas.
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The design and engineering of the facility is being led by CRB Group, a nationally recognized firm focused on designing and building biomanufacturing facilities. Realty Trust Group (RTG), a leading healthcare / life sciences real estate advisory and development firm, is serving as the lead developer on the project.
After considering locations in 23 states, the Scorpion leadership team selected Manhattan, Kansas, largely as a result of the city’s concentration of biodefense organizations, including Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) and the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) — the U.S. government’s agricultural biothreat research laboratory. One specific goal of the facility will be to help scale production of ANTHIM®, an antitoxin against anthrax, which could be employed in defense against a potential anthrax attack.
To meet Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Department of Defense requirements for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), Scorpion intends to start manufacturing ANTHIM by mid-2024. As such, the company is planning a phased building approach to complete the production train for ANTHIM first –– by April 2024 — with plans to complete a new train every 15 months thereafter. Scorpion projects that the Manhattan facility will be complete, fully functional and staffed by April 2027.
The facility is being designed to be as flexible and versatile as possible. The majority of the facility will be dedicated to commercial CDMO services, but the company is exploring the design of trains focused on other products for the SNS, among others, given that 70% of the drug products in the SNS will expire over the next four years. Where possible, Scorpion plans to use a U.S.-based supply chain, beginning with the decision to install Pall bioreactors.