OXB, a U.K.-based cell and gene therapy manufacturer, expanded its ongoing partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb to supply lentiviral vectors for the pharma giant’s CAR-T programs.
The newly expanded pact has OXB starting commercial manufacturing this year at its facilities in Oxford, U.K., and Durham, North Carolina, the company said in a Feb. 4 press release. OXB purchased the Durham facility from National Resilience in October.
Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The company said it expects the deal to result in “meaningful multi-year revenue” as well as support OXB’s medium-term financial guidance.
The two companies first inked their partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020.
“The transition from clinical to commercial manufacturing with BMS marks an important milestone for both companies,” Sebastien Ribault, Ph.D., OXB’s chief business officer, said in the release. “This long-term commitment underlines our excellent revenue visibility, reflects our strong track record, and demonstrates continued successful execution of our strategy as a leading cell and gene therapy CDMO."
Even amid the industry's cell and gene therapy reckoning of the past few years, BMS' CAR-T division has continued to reach new heights. In its most recent financial report (PDF), BMS said sales of its hematology CAR-T cell therapy Breyanzi were annualizing at more than $1 billion.
The latest OXB agreement will help advance the company’s CAR-T therapies and provide a “reliable, scalable manufacturing capacity to meet commercial demand,” Chris Holt, BMS' vice president of cell therapy vector and external manufacturing, said in the release.
OXB, which was previously known as Oxford Biomedica, began positioning itself for expansion last year when it raised 60 million pounds sterling ($81 million).
In October, the CDMO shelled out 3.4 million pounds ($4.5 million) for the commercial-scale facility in the Research Triangle Park area in Durham.
The facility is the fifth in OXB’s network and the second U.S. site for the company, including its Bedford, Massachusetts, facility, which serves as its adeno-associated virus “center of excellence.”