Bristol Myers Squibb Chooses the Netherlands for its First Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center in Europe
CAR-T cell therapy facility at Leiden Bio Science Park will expand treatment capacity for cancer patients in Europe
US-based Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has announced plans for a new cell therapy production facility in the Netherlands’ Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP). The biopharmaceutical company will use the Dutch facility to further innovations in CAR T-cell therapy. The new facility will allow BMS to expand its global network and bring cancer-fighting therapy to patients across Europe by joining the Netherlands’ highly collaborative life sciences & health sector.
“We are pleased that we are growing our presence in the Netherlands with this facility, said Véronique Walsh, M.D., General Manager BMS Benelux. “The Netherlands offers an innovative hub for life sciences and has top talent in the industry. We look forward to filling hundreds of vacancies in the coming years to shape the location.”
Accessing the Netherlands’ thriving life sciences & health ecosystem
The Netherlands’ Life Sciences & Health ambassador Clémence Ross-van Dorp welcomes the arrival of BMS: “Our growing LSH ecosystem thrives through collaboration between companies such as BMS, universities, teaching hospitals and the government. Through this connected approach, we ensure that many more people receive the care they need.”
BMS’s facility at LBSP will be its fifth cell therapy location worldwide and offer state-of-the-art equipment and technology for patients with cancer. The facility is currently under development and will be completed by late 2024, creating at least 500 new jobs in the region. Also located at LBSP is pharmaceutical giant Janssen, which played a role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
With BMS joining the Life Sciences & Health ecosystem in the Netherlands, the company joins a flourishing life sciences & health sector. The country offers key resources to bring research and development to life, such as more than 300 private-public partnerships. the local presence of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for regulation, its central European access to potential partners and customers and a ‘quadruple helix’ approach to collaboration which includes governmental support.
About Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharma firm based out of New York City with a strong focus on immuno-oncology. Also known as immunotherapy more broadly, this therapeutic approach can strengthen a patient’s immune system by enlisting their cells to attack malignant cancer cells and tumors. CAR T-cell in particular stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell. CAR T-cell therapy is a rapidly accelerating treatment option for patients with cancer being studied in clinical trials around the world.
Source: Bristol Myers Squibb (in Dutch)
22 April 2021