Novartis USD 90 million gene, cell therapy factory to begin Kymriah, Zolgensma production in 2020

New Delhi: Swiss drugmaker Novartis's new $90 million Cell and Gene therapy factory in northern Switzerland is on track to begin commercial production of treatments, including Kymriah for cancer and Zolgensma for spinal muscular atrophy, in 2020.

The new gene and cell therapy factory, expected to employ 450 people, will allow the drugmaker to make its Kymriah treatment for European patients without first having to fly their immune cells across the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Swiss factory, as well as a separate French site also being expanded, are central to Novartis's plans to transform Kymriah from a modest $250 million-per-year seller into a $1 billion blockbuster as European demand rises.

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