Europe to surpass the USA in biologic manufacturing capacity by 2023

The second part of this year’s CPhI Annual report, which will be released next week at CPhI Worldwide 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany, focuses on biologics, with contributions from biopharma experts Dawn Ecker, director of bioTRAK Database Services with BPTG (BioProcess Technology Group, BDO USA), and Emil Ciurczak, president of Doramaxx Consulting).

Ms Ecker forecasts the next fours years within the biologics manufacturing sector, predicting that Europe will overtake the USA with regards to possessing the world’s largest biologics manufacturing capacity. She also believes that the biologics sector could see manufacturing demand outgrow available manufacturing capacity in the short term if current biologics late-stage development – such as those to treat Alzheimer’s disease and some cancers – receive regulatory approval and financial backing sooner than expected.

In the current forecast parameters, one of the key variables that could potentially lead to greater shortfalls in available capacity would be a high rate of approvals for certain bio-drugs. Such biologics include those that are being used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and cancers, and they may achieve regulatory approval and financial backing from healthcare organisations sooner than expected, said Ms Ecker.