Leanbio is adding an additional €20M in investment to its plant, currently under construction, in Sant Quirze del Vallès, Barcelona. Spanning over 3500m2, the facility will house three production lines capable of manufacturing recombinant proteins and antibodies in different expression systems, as well as plasmid DNA and messenger RNA for advanced therapies within the biopharmaceutical sector. It will also include development laboratories, scaling areas, pilot production plants, and quality control.
With a high technological component in its processes and facilities equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, the plant becomes a European reference and represents a significant strategic advancement for the country, facilitating access to the production of highly complex and essential drugs.
The project has been selected as a Vanguard Health PERTE initiative, aimed at promoting innovative technological projects in the pharmaceutical sector that also meet strict sustainability criteria. European recognition through the cutting-edge Health PERTE initiative reaffirms the company's values and commitment to the development and manufacturing of medications through sustainable processes.
It is worth noting that the project is particularly relevant in a context where the pharmaceutical strategy for the EU aims to stimulate production in member countries to reduce dependence on external suppliers.
The fully operational infrastructure, starting from 2025, will feature three GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Practices) lines dedicated to working with mammalian cells, microbial cultures, and molecules for gene therapy. This development provides Leanbio with a key boost for its growth as a technology, process, and biological product developer for third parties.
The Sant Quirze del Vallès plant represents a fundamental step forward in Leanbio's business proposition, which focuses on a flexible and integrated approach, facilitating the development and manufacturing of biotechnological products according to its clients' needs with a significant reduction in time and costs, while meeting the high-quality standards required in the sector.
This is achieved through the application of innovative technological platformsto develop and manufacture biological products from the initial stages to the most advanced stages, covering all phases of their lifecycle: strain and cell line development, analytical development, manufacturing process development, formulation, and final manufacturing.
Leanbio expands its production capacity in response to the growing demand for global projects to serve both multinational corporations and startups in the manufacturing of innovative biologics and biosimilars. In this regard, Leanbio already has strategic agreements with major global companies.
According to the CPHI European Biotech Index, Barcelona is already the second-best European location for biotechnology investment, only behind London and well ahead of traditionally strong hubs like Berlin, Paris, and Swiss capitals. Additionally, according to a survey conducted by the same entity with executives from pharmaceutical companies worldwide, forecasts suggest that Barcelona will not only consolidate as the southern European capital in the sector but will also continue to rise as a globally significant biotechnology centre.
This facility is the first of its kind in the technological hub of Barcelona and addresses a historical gap in the region's sector, contributing to the consolidation of the cluster as a magnet for talent, research, and biotechnological investment.