July 11, 2018

Cell Therapy Manufacturing: The USD 8 Billion+ Growth Opportunity

By Arun Gupta Cell Therapies, Future Perspectives, Immunotherapy, Therapeutics 0 Comments

Cell Therapy have gained significant attention in the overall biopharmaceutical industry. The personalized nature of these treatment options render them highly specific and, according to a number of clinical studies, safe and efficacious. Around 20 such therapies have been approved so far; recent approvals include Alofisel® (2018), YESCARTA® (2017) and Kymriah® (2017). It is also worth highlighting that over 500 cell-based therapy candidates are in different stages of clinical development and are being evaluated in more than 1,000 active clinical studies across various regions of the globe. The growing number of cell therapy candidates, coupled to their rapid progression through various phases of clinical development, continues to create an increasing demand for facilities that offer manufacturing services for these complex therapies.

Presently, over 145 organizations are actively involved in the GMP manufacturing of various types of genetically modified cells that are intended for therapeutic use

The competitive landscape features the presence of industry and non-industry players, having the capability to produce various types of cell therapies at different scales of operation

Stem cells and immune cells are presently the major focus; there are many T-cell based candidates under development, most of which are in clinical stages

The installed global cell therapy manufacturing capacity is currently estimated to be around 1.1 billion square feet; this capacity is well distributed across various geographies

The US and EU, with relatively more number of manufacturing facilities, are the key hubs for cell-based therapy production

Over 150 partnerships indicate an increasing activity in this domain; players are actively entering into collaborations focused on diverse types of cell therapies

Integration of automation technologies is anticipated to further augment production processes, offering favorable bench-to-clinic timelines and making such therapies more affordable

Overall, the market is poised to grow at a steady pace and has over USD 8 billion potential; the opportunity is likely to be spread across different types of cell therapies

In the short-term, clinical products will drive the market; however, in the long term, backed by commercial scale production, the US and EU are likely to capture over 75% share