Already Europe’s seventh largest pharmaceutical market, Turkey plans to further grow and transform its healthcare sector, reaching 60% local production for its pharmaceutical medicines by 2023(1). Arven has opted to expand its production capacity in Turkey with GE’s FlexFactory platform which is based on integrated single-use technologies enabling flexible and efficient biomanufacturing operations. The resulting productivity improvements will support Arven’s biosimilars pipeline moving through the clinic to regulatory approval.
Irem Yenice, Ph.D., Head of Biotechnology and R&D Director, Arven Pharmaceuticals, said: “We used a range of different criteria to make our decision to employ single use systems for mammalian cell-based bioproduction. This included flexibility of systems, strength of local organization, technical support, speed, and collaborative work structure. GE Healthcare’s standards, and the FlexFactory platform, met our requirements. The project evaluation time was long enough to assess GE regarding our needs for biosimilar development and production. Recently, Turkey has been focusing on local production of biotechnological products. Therefore, we believe that business opportunities among the companies with similar goals in the industry will increase by utilizing single use technologies.”
Sven Henrichwark, General Manager, Global Commercial BioProcess, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said: “Our new Fast Trak Service Center in Istanbul allows us to work closely with Arven, one of the country’s key biopharma companies, to help deliver increased capacity as well as supporting Turkey’s growing pharma industry requirements more rapidly. Turkey’s desire to boost local manufacturing capacity is an industry need we are hearing echoed across the globe. Local production capability is a crucial element in providing national healthcare systems with the vital medicines to address growing patient needs. We are excited to contribute to Arven’s development by delivering a robust and flexible biomanufacturing solution, that also includes final qualification and training.”
1. Turkey Pharmaceuticals 2015, Global Business Reports, June 2015 —
About FlexFactory
About Fast Trak
GE Healthcare has Fast Trak Service Centers in South Korea, the USA, Sweden, India, and China and satellite Fast Trak Centers in Turkey, Japan and Singapore. Worldwide, more than 500 customers attend standard Fast Trak courses every year, with training available in local languages. In addition, there are customized courses that are built upon request and tailored according to customer needs.
About Arven Pharmaceuticals
Arven; a 100% Turkish capitalized pharmaceutical company, founded in 2012, is an R&D based high-tech pharmaceutical company which focusing on research and development, manufacturing and marketing of high-tech pharmaceutical products, including mainly biotech drugs containing therapeutic proteins and multi-dose innovative devices for Dry Powder Inhalers.
Arven succeeded in developing the first Turkish patented dry powder inhaler “Sanohaler®” as a result of long lasting R&D activities, which is a very important milestone in Turkish Pharmaceutical Industry.
Moreover, as a result of their investments in biotechnology, Arven Pharmaceuticals succeeded in authorising Turkey’s first biotechnological biosimilar product that was produced and developed by Turkish Pharmaceutical Industry.
About GE Healthcare
Contact:
GE Healthcare
Saara Nordenström
Communications
T +46 7386 81286
E saara.nordenstrom@ge.com
@GEHealthcare
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