Bayer announced the inauguration of a new manufacturing facility in Berlin, Germany, to support its global supply chain and the development of further ophthalmology therapies amidst the success of Eylea (aflibercept).

The building is located at Bayer's global pharmaceutical headquarters in Berlin, one of the company’s key global production sites for the manufacturing and packaging of liquid and solid pharmaceuticals. The company is now shifting its use to centre the development of parenteral treatments amongst other things.

The new facility will use Bayer’s platform technology chemically and biologically based parenteral products. The manufacturing plant will not only perform sterile formulation, filling, and freeze-drying of pharmaceuticals but fill Bayer’s need to develop therapies for its higher-demand products such as ophthalmology therapeutics.

The company announced plans to use the facility to fulfil future supply demand from the US, Europe and China.

Bayer has so far received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for one ophthalmology drug, Eylea. In the past few years, the agency has approved the drug for the treatment of eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration and visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion. The company is currently investigating the drug’s use for retinal vein occlusion in the Phase III QUASAR trial (NCT05850520). Bayer partnered with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in March 2016, to develop the eye disease therapy.

In the 23 November press release, Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner said: “It is great to see a German company like Bayer driving innovation in Berlin. This investment not only demonstrates loyalty to the location but also strengthens our city as a renowned health metropolis. It sends a clear signal from the economic and healthcare hub of Berlin.”

This announcement is another step in Bayer’s expansion plans, following the announcement of a new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Berkeley, California. As per a 10 October press release, the Berlin-headquartered company opened a new US cell therapy production plant to support the production of its Parkinson’s disease investigational cell therapy bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01). The construction of the new facility was part of Bayer’s $500m to revamp its Berkeley biotechnology site.