Industry & Business

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today officially opened Nexvet Biopharma’s (Nasdaq:NVET) new development and manufacturing facility in Tullamore, which has begun clinical and commercial-scale production of Nexvet’s advanced development candidates, a significant milestone towards preparations for commercialization.

The veterinary biologics company secured the facility in September 2015. It was announced at that time that up to 30 new highly-specialised technical roles would be created there. The project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through IDA Ireland.

BioNua Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexvet Biopharma, runs business operations at the 20,000 sq. ft. premises, and has undertaken extensive refurbishment transforming it into a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the emerging area of therapeutic veterinary biologics. BioNua has a 10-year lease on the facility with an option to purchase the building, located in the IDA Business & Technology Park in Tullamore.

Securing a significant development and manufacturing facility and building BioNua’s capabilities is a major step forward for Nexvet’s plan to assume full internal control of its manufacturing. Nexvet intends for BioNua to meet the Company’s anticipated future global clinical and commercial needs for drug substance production in the high growth area of veterinary therapeutics. The creation of BioNua has added to Nexvet’s vertical integration in animal health biopharmaceuticals, with research, drug development, manufacturing, clinical development and regulatory affairs now all managed internally.

Regarding the milestone represented by this official opening, Nexvet’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Heffernan said, “We are delighted with the rapid progress made by the dedicated BioNua team in internalizing our manufacturing and preparing to supply Nexvet’s clinical trials. We have sourced outstanding talent for the BioNua team and installed state-of-the-art infrastructure. The compelling advantages of biologic therapies for chronic conditions in companion animals underpin Nexvet’s long-term vision for transforming animal medicine. Therefore, excellence in manufacturing is an essential part of our business strategy, and working in partnership with the IDA has given us a unique opportunity to build a centre for veterinary biopharmaceutical validation and manufacturing in the Midlands of Ireland.”