Just one year ago, Thuringia's Minister of Economics and Science Wolfgang Tiefensee opened the expanded laboratories and the ultra-modern clean room of BianoGMP GmbH in Gera at the Leumnitz airfield. He thus heralded the pilot phase of the production facility for molecular biological active ingredients, which is now starting regular production operations.
These active substances enable completely new types of drugs, for example, which mute and repair overactive genes or activate the immune system specifically against viruses or tumours. "Within a short period of time, we succeeded in establishing the complex infrastructure, establishing the processes for the production of active ingredients on an industrial scale and obtaining the important GMP certificate. This certificate of "Good Manufacturing Practice" certifies that we work in accordance with the strict regulatory production requirements" explains the experienced biologist and Managing Director Dr. Tobias Pöhlmann. Industrial scale means just a few 100 grams of highly pure substance, because the oligonucleotides used in molecular medicine are extremely effective".
Orders for the Gera-based biotechnology company come from biotechnology start-ups and innovative pharmaceutical companies from Europe and Asia that use the active substances in their clinical studies. "The fact that we were able to start production so quickly is mainly due to our employees who have already done an excellent job in the pilot phase - but also to the excellent cooperation with the state authorities and supporting companies from the region," emphasizes Dr. Rolf Günther, second managing director of BianoGMP. "We now hope that the new active ingredients will be used quickly despite the corona crisis - by the way, also for viral infections such as COVID-19".
These active substances enable completely new types of drugs, for example, which mute and repair overactive genes or activate the immune system specifically against viruses or tumours. "Within a short period of time, we succeeded in establishing the complex infrastructure, establishing the processes for the production of active ingredients on an industrial scale and obtaining the important GMP certificate. This certificate of "Good Manufacturing Practice" certifies that we work in accordance with the strict regulatory production requirements" explains the experienced biologist and Managing Director Dr. Tobias Pöhlmann. Industrial scale means just a few 100 grams of highly pure substance, because the oligonucleotides used in molecular medicine are extremely effective".
Orders for the Gera-based biotechnology company come from biotechnology start-ups and innovative pharmaceutical companies from Europe and Asia that use the active substances in their clinical studies. "The fact that we were able to start production so quickly is mainly due to our employees who have already done an excellent job in the pilot phase - but also to the excellent cooperation with the state authorities and supporting companies from the region," emphasizes Dr. Rolf Günther, second managing director of BianoGMP. "We now hope that the new active ingredients will be used quickly despite the corona crisis - by the way, also for viral infections such as COVID-19".
