- Chime Biologics plans to expand its manufacturing capacity in China and target Asia-Pacific markets.
- The CDMO aims to increase drug substance capacity to 100,000L and become a global top ten CDMO.
Chime Biologics has announced plans to significantly scale up its manufacturing operations in China and expand into the Asia-Pacific markets. The contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) will increase its drug substance capacity from 28,000L to approximately 100,000L. This expansion will enable the company to manufacture 15 to 20 commercial products, according to Dr Jimmy Wei, President at Chime Biologics.
Chime, headquartered in Wuhan, is a “100% foreign-owned company in China,” with investors based in the US, Europe, and Hong Kong. This foreign ownership structure is expected to protect the company from the impacts of the US BIOSECURE Act, which restricts business with Chinese firms like WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics.
Chinese CDMOs have faced significant challenges since the introduction of the BIOSECURE Act in January, leading many pharmaceutical companies to seek CDMO partners without ties to China. Wei emphasised that Chime Biologics is a pure CDMO, focusing solely on drug substances and products without involvement in clinical trials or genetic information, differentiating it from larger competitors.
In addition to increasing capacity, Chime Biologics plans to expand into the Asia-Pacific market, building a team in Japan and targeting emerging markets such as the Middle East, South America, and Africa. The company also intends to enter the biosimilar business, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Chime is moving beyond traditional manufacturing to include early-phase services such as early discovery, analysis, and testing. The company’s goal is to become a global top ten CDMO and a top three CDMO in China. Wei stated, “Our goal is to become a global top ten CDMO and certainly top three in China.”
Chime also plans to establish a European subsidiary in Switzerland to expand its European business. Additionally, the company will extend its services from traditional antibody protein manufacturing to include antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) services, an area of growing interest in the pharmaceutical industry.
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