Biopharma’s Growing Emphasis on Highly Potent Drugs Drives Axplora Manufacturing Expansion

17 March, 2026 – Axplora, a global leader in complex active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing, today announced a major milestone in its $60 million investment programme at its Farmabios site in Gropello Cairoli. The latest phase includes construction of a new 4,500 m², three-storey R&D and laboratory hub, designed to accelerate development, expand execution capacity and deliver cost-efficient high-potency manufacturing at scale.

The investment builds on recent expansions across the Axplora network, including the multi-million-euro lyophilization expansion in Le Mans, France, strengthening the Group’s integrated ADC manufacturing platform. Once operational, the new facility will increase development and analytical throughput, reduce technology transfer complexity and compress timelines from early development to commercial production.

HPAPI molecules now make up over 30 % of the global drug development pipeline, with over 1,000 highly potent small molecules in development. The new facility will house state-of-the-art R&D laboratories, Quality Control laboratories, Microbiology laboratories, and integrated support areas, directly connected to existing manufacturing operations. Co-locating development, analytics and large-scale HPAPI production within a single specialised site eliminates multi-site delays, improves scale-up efficiency and enhances overall programme economics.

Farmabios already operates one of Europe’s largest HPAPI manufacturing workshops, built to an OEB 5 containment strategy. The site has five independent manufacturing lines and 105 m³ of installed capacity, supporting batch sizes from 0.5 – 300 kilograms. This platform is fully operational today, enabling immediate execution of high-volume, high-potency programmes.

Martin Meeson, Chief Executive Officer of Axplora, said: “This investment is about enabling our customers to move more quickly at scale to and through the clinic, helping them bring their products to patients sooner. As pharma pipelines consist of molecules of higher potency and additional complexity, customers are looking to avoid delays through fragmented supply chains. By expanding R&D, analytical and quality capabilities alongside large-scale HPAPI production, we are shortening development cycles and helping them control cost while accelerating time to market.”

He added: “Axplora already manufactures 6 of the 14 FDA-approved commercial ADCs, and we continue to see strong momentum across ADC and other high-potency programmes. This expansion ensures we remain ahead of demand and fully aligned with the needs of innovators bringing next-generation therapies to patients.”

Mario Di Giacomo, Managing Director of Farmabios, commented: “Our customers are increasingly looking to move quickly without compromising quality. This new R&D hub strengthens our ability to deliver integrated, end-to-end programmes within a single site. By reducing complexity and avoiding unnecessary transfers, we improve both timeline predictability and overall programme costs.”

Construction is underway, with completion targeted for February 2027. The underlying HPAPI manufacturing capacity supporting this growth is qualified and operational, with first projects under way.

Through this continued investment, Axplora is reinforcing its industrial platform for complex, high-potency modalities — combining containment expertise, development speed and commercial-scale capacity to meet accelerating market demand.

Axplora is a trusted manufacturing partner to over 900 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies, formed from the integration of PharmaZell, Farmabios, and Novasep CDMO —three industry leaders with decades of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Axplora delivers high-quality, reliable, and sustainable solutions across the pharmaceutical value chain.

With deep capabilities in complex chemistry and industrial manufacturing combined with an agile, explorer’s mindset, Axplora supports pharmaceutical and biotech companies in developing and producing life-changing therapies. PharmaZell and Farmabios are renowned for their expertise in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), highly potent compounds, and regulatory excellence, while Novasep CDMO is a leader in small molecule and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) manufacturing while being a pioneer in purification technologies.

Axplora operates 9 API manufacturing sites across Europe and India, providing multi-site capacity to partners worldwide.

For more information, visit www.axplora.com

Press contacts:

Will Frost (UK/US)
Phone: +44 (0)7799652421

Thomas Goldberg (Europe)
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press@axplora.com
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