Genzyme has stopped production at its Allston facility, the Cambridge-based biotech announced this morning. A virus was found in one of six bioreactors at the site. The virus, thought to have entered the bioreactors during the manufacturing process, inhibits cell growth necessary for the production of drugs such as Cerezyme and Fabrazyme, which are manufactured at the Allston site.
The company said the virus was responsible for declines in cell production in Allston and another site in 2008. The Allston facility is being sanitized and is expected to be back up and running by the end of July.
The company said the virus, Vesivirus 2117, “has not been shown to cause human infection.”
Universal Hub notes that Genzyme was warned by the FDA in March that such a contamination was possible.
Update: MHT’s coverage by staff writer Julie M. Donnelly can be found here.
Posted by Brendan Lynch
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