Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) will become the anchor tenant in a new facility from Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand (COD) in Burlington, Mass.
Cambridge, Mass.–based Moderna has seen its business skyrocket in the past year. Its sales growth in the second quarter of the year grew 6,399% compared with Q2 2020.
“As Moderna grows at an accelerated pace, there is a clear need to expand our clinical manufacturing capacity,” said Jason Ellow, Moderna’s senior director of clinical manufacturing, in a statement. To facilitate its growth, Moderna has relied on partnerships with a range of companies, including Azzur, Catalent and Lonza.
The companies, both having a presence in the Greater Boston area, have worked together for more than six years. Azzur operates multiple cleanrooms-on-demand facilities in the area as well as a presence near San Diego, Calif.
“Azzur and Moderna have worked together for a number of years,” said Paul Paldino, director of operations for Azzur COD’s Burlington, Mass. “Azzur has provided compliance and manufacturing support through Moderna’s growth and continues to grow alongside the industry leader. The move into Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand is the most recent example of both organizations’ continued commitment to bringing meaningful developments to patients around the world.”
The site in Burlington, Mass. will open soon. Although not officially open, the site is completely booked.
Paldino said that contract cleanrooms help provide agility to fast-growing biotech and pharma companies. “Cleanrooms on Demand is a practical answer to the classic dilemma for fast-moving pharma companies: Do they build their own facilities or outsource development?” Paldino said.
Demand for such manufacturing capabilities has been high in recent years, explained Ravi Samavedam, president and COO of Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand. “The past 18 months have only served to amplify that demand,” Samavedam added. “Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand provides clients the ability to move into a production-ready environment in less than 90 days while keeping full control of their processes and production schedules. Clients are able to focus on developing their science while Azzur takes care of the facility and associated compliance.”
The option of building a cleanroom lab from scratch can often take multiple years and come with a price tag in the millions of dollars.
Samavedam also said that the Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand services allows clients to fully manage their processes end-to-end keeping both their process know-how and intellectual property inhouse. “As a result, we cannot comment on client cleanroom activity,” he added.