MilliporeSigma Announces Support of SaudiVax in Becoming First Developer and Manufacturer of Halal Vaccines and Biotherapeutics in Saudi Arabia
News Release
- Life Science business sector to work with SaudiVax to design best-in-class facility for Saudi-based manufacturing of life-saving biotherapeutics
- SaudiVax selects Life Science business sector for its expertise in GMP manufacturing, biopharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, consulting services, and product testing and development
- Collaboration underscores both companies’ commitment to expand access to life-saving and life-enhancing biologic therapies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
Burlington, Massachusetts, November 3, 2021 – MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canadian Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced that the Life Science business sector will support SaudiVax Ltd., based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to design a best-in-class, multi-modality manufacturing facility to localize manufacturing of biologics and vaccines for the MENA region.
SaudiVax is positioned to become the first developer and manufacturer of Halal vaccines and biotherapeutics in Saudi Arabia, leveraging the integrated Contract Development Manufacturing Services (CDMO), innovative product offerings, and single-use technologies offered by the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
“With more than 30 years of experience designing, building and operating our own global CDMO network, we are pleased to support SaudiVax in fulfilling its mission to localize the development and manufacturing of vaccines and therapeutics in Saudi Arabia,” said Sébastien Ribault, Head of End-to-End Contract Development Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Services at the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “This partnership brings together our shared commitment to expand access to life-saving and life-enhancing therapies.”
The first phase of this collaboration will focus on conceptual and equipment selection studies, followed by facility fit-out, consulting, and process development services to enable SaudiVax to achieve self-sufficient cGMP manufacturing that meets international regulatory requirements. As part of this first phase, the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will support the training of SaudiVax employees in its M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Molsheim, France, and on its End-to-End GMP site located in Martillac, France. The parties formalized their collaboration with a signing ceremony on October 24.
“The comprehensive expertise, services, and bioprocessing products offered by the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, coupled with its focus on both the customer and international regulatory requirements, make them the ideal strategic partner to enable us to localize the manufacturing of high-quality, Halal, and affordable vaccines and biotherapeutics in Saudi Arabia for distribution throughout the MENA region,” said Mazen Hassanain, Managing Director of SaudiVax.
About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 23,000 employees and 59 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.
Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.
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