Medipost said Tuesday that Canadian affiliate OmniaBio Inc., a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in cell and gene therapy (CGT), has completed the construction of a new manufacturing facility and held a dedication ceremony.

The opening of the new facility is the result of Medipost's investment of 90 million Canadian dollars (about 90 billion won) in May 2022 to expand its CGT CDMO business in North America and enter the North American market for its knee osteoarthritis drug, Cartistem.

The new 7,500-square-meter facility is in the McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ontario. It joins OmniaBio's 3,700-square-meter facility in Toronto, totaling 11,200 square meters. That makes OmniaBio the largest CDMO specializing in cell and gene therapy products in Canada.

The facility is equipped with the latest technology to support early clinical development through commercialization and is expected to provide access and affordability to innovative medical treatments across North America. Medipost officials said the facility will specifically be used to manufacture reagents for Cartistem's U.S. phase 3 clinical trials.

“With the opening of this new facility, OmniaBio has secured a strong competitive position in the regenerative medicine space,” said Michael May, chairperson of OmniaBio's board of directors. “Our geographic location near the U.S. border and Canada's largest international airport, coupled with our advanced technology, will enable us to grow into a global CDMO.”

Lee Seung-jin, executive vice president and head of Medipost’s Global Business Division and representative of the company’s U.S. and Japanese affiliates, said, “Based on our successful experience in commercializing cord blood stem cell therapies, Medipost will continue to grow by expanding into the global market.

Lee added that Medipost would accelerate the company’s North American partnerships and business development as it prepares for the U.S. phase 3 trial of Cartistem.