Maryland's Biopharma Promise

Some of the forces that shape biopharma cluster development are constants year after year, such as the emergence of startups from university and research institute labs to develop new treatments, thanks to ideas backed by the brains of researchers and executives, and the bucks of serial entrepreneurs and other investors... Read more at GenEng News.

AbbVie Inc., Novartis AG, AstraZeneca Plc, and drug industry group PhRMA notched a victory Tuesday after a federal appeals court vacated an order rejecting their request to block a Maryland drug discount law, remanding the decision for review. The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled a lower court “erred” when it denied the drugmakers and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s motion for a preliminary injunction against Maryland’s H.B. 1056.

Medical breakthroughs are often measured in lives saved and diseases prevented. That is only part of the story. They are also a powerful driver of economic growth, workforce strength, and long-term public revenue. For communities like Frederick County, that connection is not theoretical. It is visible in our local economy every day... Read more from Rick Weldon, CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, at The Frederick News Post .

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VNDA) has landed another regulatory approval, this time for a schizophrenia and bipolar treatment - two months after securing a nod to take a motion sickness medication to market... Read more at WBJ .

Maryland is becoming the home away from home for British drugmaker AstraZeneca. On Friday, the biopharma powerhouse upped its ante in the Old Line State, saying it will invest $2 billion to increase its manufacturing presence there. The funding will allow AZ to nearly double the production capacity at its flagship biologics plant in Federick, Maryland, and also provide for the manufacture of the company's rare disease products there for the first time, AZ said. Read the full

For decades, America has led the global biotech industry – thanks, in part, to state-level policies that encourage research and manufacturing investments. But other countries, including China, are sparing no expense in the bid to overtake us. Beijing has officially made biotechnology a national strategic priority and is pouring billions into state-backed research and manufacturing efforts. Read more at Real Clear Health .

Samsung Biologics, the largest biotechnology company in South Korea, has announced plans to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Rockville. The announcement is a follow up to meetings held earlier this year between Governor Moore, Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, and Samsung Biologics leadership during the governor's international trade and investment mission to Japan and South Korea. Read more at Business.Maryland.Gov

In every therapeutic journey, there is a moment when the science becomes something more than a concept. It becomes a possibility. That moment doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because a trusted partner knows how to take a company’s vision, protect it, scale it, and move it toward the patient with purpose. In the BioHealth Capital Region, few organizations embody this better than ABL; a CDMO that has built a reputation for doing things differently. ABL’s approach is roote

Korean biotechnology company, Nature Cell, is planning to open a stem cell facility in Baltimore, bringing 500 new jobs, the governor announced Tuesday. The 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility will be located at 1401 Severn Street in the mixed-use Gaslight Square complex. The facility will be completed by 2031 in two phases, according to the governor's office. Read the full article on CBS News .