12 June 2020
Biopharmaceutical company Kite Pharma has received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for CAR T cell therapy manufacturing in Europe. With this approval, Kite’s European manufacturing facility in Amsterdam Airport City, designed and dedicated to the manufacture of individualized cell therapies, is fully operational.
US-based Kite Pharma, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, expands in Dutch Life Sciences and Health Sector. “Kite is focused foremost on the needs of patients living with cancer and we are proud to now manufacture cell therapy directly in Europe,” said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite.
With the approval from EMA to implement a variation of Kite’s cell therapy, the first CAR T cell therapy for certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Kite’s manufacturing facility in Amsterdam Airport City is fully operational to manufacture individualized cell therapies for European cancer patients. The facility in Amsterdam Airport City was established in 2018 and has the capacity to produce cell therapy treatments for up to 4,000 patients per year.
"With the enhanced technology and processes at our new facility we are pleased to be leading the next chapter in the manufacture and delivery of CAR T therapy,” said Charles Calderaro, Kite’s Global Head of Technical Operations. “Our new European manufacturing facility is dedicated to cutting-edge cell engineering, enabling patients to receive their potentially life-saving treatment more quickly.”
Central location in Europe
Kite has nearly 90 qualified treatment centers in 16 countries across Europe and Israel. The central location of Kite’s new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Amsterdam Airport City, with its transport links to the region, will reduce the delivery time to and from treatment centers across Europe. “This facility will benefit both patients and healthcare professionals, allowing Yescarta to reach European treatment centers more quickly and reducing the time it takes to reach patients by almost a week”, explained Shaw.
“The central location of Kite’s new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Amsterdam Airport City will reduce the delivery time to and from treatment centers across Europe.”
Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer