G-Con Manufacturing and GE Healthcare Announce Intent to Collaborate in Developing the Next Generation Modular Bio-Therapeutic Manufacturing Technology

UPPSALA, Sweden and COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas-based G-Con Manufacturing, LLC and GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), announced today their intention to collaborate on the development of an industry-leading modular portable bio-process manufacturing solution for vaccines and therapeutics.

This collaboration combines GE Healthcare's global presence and expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology with G-Con's modular portable flexible clean-room technology. The collaboration will offer comprehensive GMP manufacturing solutions that are less expensive and quicker to build and maintain and easier to operate than any currently existing solution on the market.  

Together, the companies have the capability to design, build and deliver turnkey advanced bio-therapeutic manufacturing facilities throughout the world, and will be able to meet the growing market for rapid access to biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, whether in developing markets, or for increased speed in situations such as pandemic response.

"GE Healthcare is a global life sciences leader, and we are excited by the market-changing next generation therapeutic manufacturing innovations this collaboration will be able to produce," said Dr. Barry Holtz, President of G-Con Manufacturing, LLC.

"This collaboration is part of GE Healthcare's mission to increase speed and access, and reduce cost for developers and manufacturers of bio-therapeutics and vaccines around the world," said Nigel Darby, Vice President, Biotechnologies, GE Healthcare. "This collaboration means we move further towards our vision of modular and possibly mobile flexible biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities -- the vaccine factory in a box."

About G-Con Manufacturing, LLC

G-Con Manufacturing, LLC is a Texas-based company dedicated to bringing new technologies and processes to the therapeutic manufacturing industry.  The Company's mission is to revolutionize the biomanufacturing industry by providing comprehensive GMP manufacturing solutions that are less expensive, more flexible and efficient to operate than any existing solution on the market.  The company's principals have 30 years experience in pharmaceutical facility design and operation and have brought first in class therapeutics from concept to the market.  For more information, please visit:  http://gconbio.com/    

About GE Healthcare: 

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

For our latest news, please visit http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com

SOURCE G-Con Manufacturing, LLC