Sanquin, Baxter enter manufacturing services agreement for plasma therapies

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) today announced that it has entered into a manufacturing services agreement with Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening (Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation) in the Netherlands that will provide Baxter up to 1.6 million liters of incremental plasma fractionation capacity annually to support global growth of plasma-derived treatments.

Under the agreement, Baxter will pay Sanquin a fixed fee to fractionate plasma used for medications to treat immune disorders, hemophilia, trauma and other critical conditions. Sanquin will process plasma supplied by Baxter into bulk material for GAMMAGARD LIQUID 10% [Immune Globulin Infusion (Human)], (marketed as KIOVIG outside the United States and Canada), and FLEXBUMIN [Albumin (Human)]. Sanquin also will provide filling and finishing for IMMUNATE. The initial term of the agreement is 10 years, with production beginning in 2014 and Sanquin reaching the full 1.6 million liters annually by the end of 2016.

''As a worldwide leader in plasma-derived therapies, Baxter is committed to efforts that support the availability of our treatments for the patients who need them. Our collaboration with Sanquin is an important step in addressing both the near and long-term needs of the patient community,'' said Ludwig Hantson, Ph.D., president of Baxter's BioScience business.

Earlier this year, Baxter announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Georgia to support future growth of its plasma-based treatments. Construction will begin this year at the site near Covington, Ga. Commercial production is scheduled to begin in 2018, with the new plasma fractionation facility adding up to 3.0 million liters of new capacity annually when fully operational, with the flexibility and necessary infrastructure to expand further to support additional global market needs.