Roche and Spark are Working Together to Boost Manufacturing Capacity

Roche has also been on a significant COVID related journey during the pandemic, hitting new height of public awareness when its high-volume SARS-COV-2 diagnostic test, capable of analysing 1,400-8,800 samples within 24h gained FDA approval during the preliminary stages of the crisis in 2020.

Now it’s looking to enter 2022 with a back and is working hard with recently acquired Spark Therapeutics to make sure its gene-therapy manufacturing capacity is high enough to meet the continuing pharmaceutical supply chain challenges we are likely to see well into the new year.

Gene-therapy represents a paradigm shift in how we treat some of the world’s deadliest and most debilitating diseases. Personalized treatments, tailored to each patient’s own genetic makeup will boost the healthcare experience and improve clinical outcomes for all.

The new $575 million manufacturing and distribution facility is due to break ground in Philadelphia in the fourth quarter of 2022 as part of a joint venture between Spark Therapeutics and Drexel University.

“We will always be looking for good ideas, whether they come internally or externally,” said Spark Therapeutics CEO, Jeff Marrazzo. “I think you'll see a combination of things that we do both internal and external. Obviously, the external ones become more visible, but we have a lot of work going on internally on discovery programs, and we have a group just dedicated to platform technologies.”