Avid Bioservices Expands Manufacturing Capabilitie

-- Bioreactors Now Online and Able to Meet Needs of Current and Future Clients --

-- State-of-the-Art Myford Facility Features Industry-Leading Flexibility, Scalability and Ease-of-Use --

TUSTIN, Calif., Sept. 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avid Bioservices, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHM) (NASDAQ:PPHMP), today announced the successful installation and validation of two Mobius ^® 2,000-liter single-use bioreactors from MilliporeSigma in Avid’s Myford clinical and commercial manufacturing facility. The bioreactors are officially online and able to accommodate the growing demand for larger scale single-use bioreactors from current and future Avid clients. Avid has already secured customer commitments for a portion of the manufacturing capacity associated with the new bioreactors.

“We have been working diligently on the installation and validation of these new 2,000-liter bioreactors and are excited to now be in a position to launch the manufacturing activities that this state-of-the-art equipment enables.  This enhancement of our capabilities is just the latest step in our ongoing efforts to expand and diversify our customer base,” said Roger Lias, Ph.D., president of Avid Bioservices. “Importantly, based on the modular design of our Myford facility, we have the ability to install one additional 2,000-liter bioreactor, allowing us to further accelerate the growth of the business.”   

The newly installed 2,000-liter single-use bioreactors offer a range of important manufacturing advantages and efficiencies as compared to other equipment.  Traditionally, biopharmaceutical companies used large stainless steel vessels in multi-story buildings, requiring substantial investment and rigorous setup. With single-use disposable equipment, customers get improved batch turnaround times, reduced risk of product cross-contamination, decreased capital costs and have less equipment to clean. Single-use technology helps accelerate customers’ molecules to market, improve productivity, and ensure supply continuity. 

“MilliporeSigma’s Mobius ^® 2,000-liter single-use bioreactors are easy to use and play an integral role in Avid’s goal toward having a fully disposable biomanufacturing process,” said Andrew Bulpin, Head of Process Solutions at MilliporeSigma. “We look forward to continuing to work with companies around the world to bring their molecules to market and accelerate production of critical medicines.”

The 42,000 square foot Myford facility is designed with cutting-edge, single-use equipment to accommodate a fully disposable biomanufacturing process.  A wide range of innovative features are incorporated into this new facility including monolithic modular clean rooms, dedicated support utilities for each key processing area, and the industry’s most advanced single-use production systems and flexible solutions.  Uni-directional process flows separate personnel and materials and provide assurance that the design meets the most stringent regulatory requirements for commercial biologics API manufacturing. 

About Avid Bioservices, Inc. Avid Bioservices, a wholly owned subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, provides a comprehensive range of process development, high quality cGMP clinical and commercial manufacturing services for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. With over 20 years of experience producing monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins in batch, fed-batch and perfusion modes, including 12 years of commercial manufacturing for products sold in 18 countries, Avid's services include cGMP clinical and commercial product manufacturing, purification, bulk packaging, lot release and stability testing, regulatory strategy, submission and support. The company also provides a variety of process development activities, including cell line development and optimization, cell culture and feed optimization, analytical methods development, qualification/validation, process and product characterization. For more information about Avid, please visit www.avidbio.com .

About Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of patients by delivering high quality pharmaceutical products through its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services and through advancing and licensing its investigational immunotherapy and related products.  Peregrine's in-house CDMO services, including cGMP manufacturing and development capabilities, are provided through its wholly-owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. ( www.avidbio.com ), which provides development and biomanufacturing services for both Peregrine and third-party customers.  The company is also working to evaluate its lead immunotherapy candidate, bavituximab, in combination with immune stimulating therapies for the treatment of various cancers, and developing its proprietary exosome technology for the detection and monitoring of cancer.  For more information, please visit www.peregrineinc.com .