$18.5 million awarded to expand U.S.-based manufacturing of raw materials for essential medicines

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS - Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), has announced $18.5 million awarded to two U.S. companies to expand the nation’s manufacturing of key starting materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients needed to make essential medicines.

The awards are the first through ASPR’s BioMaP-Consortium, a public-private partnership established this past January.

“ASPR is committed to expanding our nation’s domestic manufacturing infrastructure,” said Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.  “Today’s announcement advances our efforts to build resilient U.S.-based supply chains for pharmaceutical ingredients and mitigate risk and reliance on foreign supplies. Having this capability in the U.S. is critical for our emergency preparedness.”

Virginia-based Capra Biosciences will receive about $7.5 million to leverage its bioreactor platform to manufacture three active pharmaceutical ingredients. California-based Antheia will receive about $11 million to support U.S.-based production of pharmaceutical ingredients.

The agreements are funded by ASPR’s Industrial Base Manufacturing and Supply Chain office (IBMSC) which focuses on building a diverse, agile, public health supply chain and sustaining long-term U.S. manufacturing capabilities. The office invests in medical product industrial base expansion capacities that can enhance the U.S. response to future public health emergencies.

“We are focused on advancing pioneering approaches to support a strong biomanufacturing infrastructure in the United States,” said IBMSC Director and Deputy Assistant Secretary Arlene Joyner. “Our efforts are aimed at developing the starting materials and ingredients for essential medicines and refining how they are made.”

Since 2019, ASPR has invested more than $325 million to develop domestic production capabilities for active pharmaceutical ingredients. As a result, domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers are establishing continuous manufacturing capabilities using technology that requires only a small footprint to make sterile injectables and solid dose form drugs in short supply.

The BioMaP-Consortium, overseen by ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and managed by Advanced Technology International, brings together more than 170 industry partners across the biomanufacturing enterprise, including the manufacturers of required raw materials, consumables, and fill-finish services suppliers, to expand domestic manufacturing capacity.

The BioMaP-Consortium can be leveraged by any U.S. government sponsor, including those outside of HHS. More information on the Consortium and how companies can become members can be found on the BioMaP-Consortium’s website.

To learn more about efforts to expand industrial base manufacturing capacity in the United States, see ASPR’s Office of Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain.