J&J strikes a deal to manufacture Doxil itself at Ben Venue plant . Initial agreement still needs sign-off by 'health authorities' .December 19, 2013 | By Eric PalmerJanssen Products, which has struggled to maintain supplies of its cancer drug Doxil since supplier Ben Venue Laboratories ran into FDA issues, may have landed on a way to help keep supplies available. The Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) unit has an agreement to lease part of Ben Venue's Bedford, OH, plant and take on manufacturing itself.
"We have reached an initial agreement to lease some parts of the plant, and steps are being taken to transition manufacturing," was about all that J&J spokeswoman Lisa Vaga would say Thursday, citing confidentiality agreements. "Although we've reached an initial agreement to lease the portions of Ben Venue's facility that produce Doxil, there are multiple steps required to transition manufacturing and any plans are subject to health authority approvals. I can't comment further because of confidentiality."
Vaga couldn't say what the FDA thinks about the arrangement or whether it calls for using Ben Venue employees. Boehringer Ingelheim, which owns Ben Venue, said in October that the plant was no longer economically viable and that it would close at year end and its 1,100 workers would be let go.
...
************************************************************
JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON SELECTED PHARMACEUTICALS IN LATE STAGE U.S. AND E.U. DEVELOPMENT OR REGISTRATION .
*****************************************************
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson Selected Pharmaceutical Pipeline - Recent Approvals/Potential Filings* .