News | January 30, 2020

Hitachi Chemical Opens New Cell And Gene Therapy Contract Manufacturing Facility

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Company Expects to Add Up to 500 Employees in New Jersey

Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions, LLC (“HCATS”), a subsidiary of Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. representing Hitachi Chemical’s Regenerative Medicine Business Sector (“RMBS”) in North America, today announced the opening of its new cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in Allendale, New Jersey. The new facility is the company’s first to be designed from the ground up to meet the unique needs of commercial cell and gene therapy products and more than doubles HCATS’ existing manufacturing capacity in New Jersey.

The facility (“75 Commerce”) currently includes six classified environment rooms, with the capacity to add more rooms that can be specifically configured to accommodate growing client needs. The new facility includes state-of-the-art manufacturing development laboratories, quality control and microbiological laboratories, warehousing, executive offices and meeting space. The company’s ongoing investment in facility expansion complements ongoing investments in the company’s Quality Systems and commercial expertise, all with the aim of meeting its commitments to existing clients with near-term expectations for commercial product manufacturing.

“The opening of this new facility marks an important milestone for HCATS and will offer a state-of-the-art resource for our clients as they commercialize cell and gene therapies. Access to this type of manufacturing space is needed across the industry to ensure the continued growth and momentum of these promising therapeutics,” said Robert Preti, Ph.D., President and CEO, HCATS, and General Manager, RMBS. “This facility will require up to 500 more employees to reach full operational capacity over the next several years, supporting our growing roster of clients.”

“I am excited for Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions’ future in New Jersey, and I have no doubt that their new, state-of-the-art facility will not only help New Jersey residents, but also contribute to expanding the innovation economy by bringing up to 500 new jobs to our state,” said Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey. “With our highly educated and diverse workforce, New Jersey is the perfect location for expanding biotech firms like Hitachi Chemical.”

The leadership and employees of HCATS, along with officials of Hitachi Chemical and local dignitaries, commemorated the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 29 at the new facility.

About The Hitachi Chemical Regenerative Medicine Business Sector
The Hitachi Chemical’s Regenerative Medicine Business Sector provides contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services at current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) standards, including clinical manufacturing, commercial manufacturing, and manufacturing development. The global footprint of the business is over 200,000 square feet and includes operations in North America (Allendale, New Jersey and Mountain View, California), Europe (Munich, Germany), and Japan (Yokohama). The business leverages two decades of experience exclusively focused on the cell therapy industry.

For more information, visit www.pctcelltherapy.com, www.apceth.com and www.hitachi-chem.co.jp/english/

Source: Hitachi