Dr. Robert A. Preti, theCEO and President of Hitachi Chemical Advanced Therapeutics Solutions (HCATS), was recently interviewed by Global Business Reports (GBR) for their 2019 US Biopharmaceuticals report. The GBR report covers a range of topics, such as the state of the biopharma industry, new developments in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, the investment climate for cell and gene therapy products, and interviews with many industry leaders.

In his interview with GBR, Dr. Preti discussed the history of HCATS—from its inception as PCT to its acquisition by Hitachi Chemical and subsequent rebranding—as well as how the company sets itself apart from other Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs).

HCATS as an Industry Influencer

As Dr. Preti mentions in GBR report

“PCT was founded in 1999 as the first contract manufacturing organization in the cell therapy space. Once the industry realized that cell therapy could be effectively used for treatment, there was a rapid increase of companies in the space. As one of the first entrants in the space, we had the opportunity to work with the FDA on developing initial regulations.”

The extensive experience PCT had as a company in the cell therapy development and manufacturing space—especially in helping to guide the development of regulations to ensure the creation of safe and effective biopharmaceutical products—was part of the reason why Hitachi Chemical approached the company for acquisition.

As one of the first companies to specialize in cell therapy manufacturing and development, we have a level of experience and expertise few other organizations can claim.

Discussing the Value Proposition of HCATS

The big question of the interview between Dr. Preti and GBR was: “With increasing consolidation in the CDMO space as companies build out their capabilities, what is your value proposition to the industry?”

Aside from bringing extensive experience and know-how to the table for cell therapy manufacturing and development, HCATS provides what our CEO describes as our “Three-Tier Strategy.” The three tiers are:

1. Tier I: The HCATS Harmonized Global Platform. All of our global locations, from Japan, to Europe, to the United States are tied together to provide uniform manufacturing capabilities. This allows our clients to have the cell therapy manufacturing capabilities they need in every market we serve.
2. Tier II: The Center for Innovation and Engineering. We are dedicated tocreating solutions to cell therapy manufacturing’s biggest challenges. As Dr. Preti notes in the interview, we leverage “our Innovation and Engineering (I&E) Center to improve quality, contain the cost of goods, provide the ability to scale and sustain manufacturing throughout the commercial life of the product.”
3. Tier III: The Value Chain. This tier of the strategy is concerned with the vertical integration of the support areas for our core competencies as well as what we need to add or create to secure our supply chain and delivery to maximize quality, safety, purity, and potency of cell therapy products.