BioSpring Invests Heavily in Nucleic Acid API Production, Signaling Industry Shift

German CDMO BioSpring has announced plans to construct a massive new production facility for DNA- and RNA-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), marking a significant development in the pharmaceutical industry's growing focus on nucleic acid therapeutics.

BioSpring's Ambitious Expansion

The company is investing "several hundred million euros" in a 164,000-square-foot facility at its Offenbach, Germany campus. Set to be completed by the end of 2027, the new plant aims to become one of the world's largest manufacturing sites for nucleic acid APIs.

Dr. Sylvia Wojczewski, BioSpring's CEO and co-founder, emphasized the scale of the project, stating, "In the future, we'll be able to produce nucleic acids for therapeutic applications on a ton scale."

The facility will feature:

• A manufacturing and warehouse complex
• Office space for quality control and production teams
• A glass atrium for events
• An external solvent tank farm

This expansion is expected to create approximately 200 new jobs, with additional openings anticipated across the Offenbach campus.

Industry-wide Shift Towards Nucleic Acid Therapeutics

BioSpring's investment reflects a broader industry trend, with several major pharmaceutical companies making significant moves in the nucleic acid space:

• Eli Lilly opened a $700 million RNA and DNA research center in Boston's Seaport district last summer, aiming to advance delivery technologies for neurodegeneration, diabetes, and obesity treatments.

• CDMO WuXi Biologics recently broke ground on a 1.2 million-square-foot microbial production plant in Chengdu, China, capable of producing various modalities, including plasmid DNA.

These developments underscore the pharmaceutical industry's growing recognition of the potential of nucleic acid-based therapies and the need for expanded production capabilities to meet future demand.