WuXi Biologics, which happens to be a leading global contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO), on June 9, 2025, went on to announce that it has kicked off the construction of its novel Chengdu microbial manufacturing site when it comes to commercial production within the Wenjiang district of Chengdu, which is a renowned and vibrant hub in terms of pharmaceutical development.
The plant, which spans an area of 95,000 m², is dedicated to drug substance (DS) facilities as well as drug product (DP) facilities for commercial manufacturing, and it encompasses a broad area of modalities like antibody fragments, peptides, plasmid DNA, cytokines, enzymes, and virus-like particles (VLPs). Scheduled to complete the GMP release for production by the end of 2026, this site is going to be well equipped with almost 15,000 L fermenters, thereby helping a yearly production capacity of 80 to almost 110 DS batches. In the longer run, the capacity is going to be able to expand to 60,000 L. Interestingly, the facility is going to be housing China’s first dual-chamber lyophilization production line, in addition to a vial filling line having a total DP manufacturing capacity that would exceed 10 million vials per year, which is indeed a significant enhancement of WuXi Biologic’s commercial manufacturing capacities when it comes to the worldwide market.
Apparently, the state-of-the-art facilities will be featuring WuXi Biologics’ recently launched microbial expression platform, EffiX, in terms of the development and manufacturing of biologics having high yield, continuous quality, and also superior balance as well as scalability, thereby achieving titers that go beyond 15 g/L for non-mAb recombinant proteins.
Equipped with the advanced automated system in order to make sure of regulatory compliance and functional efficiency as well as attain a quality that is uncompromised, the facilities have also been designed with a robust focus when it comes to energy conservation as well as sustainability. By way of optimization of the process development approaches along with execution of comprehensive carbon tracking mechanisms, WuXi Biologics looks forward to minimizing its environmental footprint and, at the same time, maintaining the high standards of production.
It is worth noting that WuXi Biologics is going to utilize the Chengdu manufacturing site in order to produce the inaugural commercial product of VISEN Pharmaceuticals, which is called lonapegsomatropin, a long-acting growth hormone when it comes to the treatment of pediatric growth hormone deficiency (PGHD).
Besides this landmark partnership, the company also looks forward to establishing strategic collaboration with industry-leading biotech firm Virogen Biotechnology. All these partnerships, which are centered around commercial manufacturing functioning, highlight the broad portfolio collaboration of WuXi Biologics and also its drive in order to meet the rising demand as far as advanced biologic therapies are concerned.
Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, commented, “We are excited to kick off the construction of Chengdu microbial manufacturing site, a powerful enhancement to add to our comprehensive end-to-end microbial solutions. With the booming global market for microbial products presenting unprecedented potential for next-generation therapies, our Chengdu site — with its robust production scale and cutting-edge technologies — is ideally positioned to capitalize on this trend. The strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies not only validate the capabilities of our new site but also represent a pivotal milestone in our unwavering commitment to accelerating the development and delivery of innovative therapies to patients worldwide.”
