-- 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.
Contacts: Kelly Pisarev Lord Avid Bioservices, Inc. (800) 987-8256 Stephanie Diaz (Investors) Vida Strategic Partners 415-675-7401 sdiaz@vidasp.com Tim Brons (Media) Vida Strategic Partners 415-675-7402 tbrons@vidasp.com
