KBI Biopharma Extends $250M Manufacturing Agreement, Opens New Facility

JSR Life Sciences' contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), KBI Biopharma, has announced an extended and expanded manufacturing agreement with a major global pharmaceutical company.

The revised contract includes a commitment to purchase two therapeutic products, adding approximately $250 million in value until the end of the renewed term. Initially signed in 2020 and set to expire in 2026, the contract has now been extended through 2029 following six months of negotiations.

JD Mowery, president and CEO of KBI Biopharma, stated, “This commercial contract extension highlights our commitment to solving complex manufacturing challenges and solidifies our role as a next-generation CDMO. Along with our successful FDA inspection, we are making strides in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing to bring new therapies to market.”

Sarah Wakefield, SVP of corporate communications and global marketing at KBI, informed BioProcess Insider that future production of these molecules will also occur at the newly built Patriot Park facility in Durham. She added that KBI’s personnel are well-prepared to meet the contract’s requirements, emphasizing the company’s learning and development culture. “Our team is continually trained on industry standards and best practices, as well as specific procedures related to the molecules they work on,” she said.

This extension follows a successful FDA inspection in June 2024 at KBI’s Hamlin Road mammalian facility in Durham, North Carolina, where the production will take place. This inspection allows the facility to commercially manufacture an oncological mammalian drug substance for a key strategic partner.