Agilent invests $725M for manufacturing of therapeutic nucleic acids

Agilent Technologies announced it is investing approximately $725M to double manufacturing capacity of therapeutic nucleic acids in response to rapid growth of the $1B market and strong demand for the company’s high-quality active pharmaceutical ingredients. Therapeutic nucleic acids, also called therapeutic oligonucleotides or oligos, are short DNA and RNA molecules that serve as the API for drugs targeting a growing number of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rare and infectious diseases. "This investment reflects not only the strong demand for therapeutic oligos, but also for the unmatched quality and service of our therapeutic oligo contract development and manufacturing organization " said Mike McMullen, Agilent president and CEO. "It’s yet another example of our focus on investing in high-growth markets while also delivering on Agilent’s mission of improving the quality of life."