Posted: 2 July 2025
Victoria’s Government announced that IDT Australia has inaugurated the nation’s first facility dedicated to the manufacture of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for oncology therapies.
The IDT Ehrlich Bioconjugation Centre, located in Victoria, had been officially opened by Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Colin Brooks. The Centre was named in honour of German scientist Dr Paul Ehrlich, who won the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside Elie Metchnikoff and developed the ‘magic bullet’ concept in 1910, referring to therapies that combine chemistry and biology to target disease with precision.
It was reported by IDT chief executive Paul McDonald that the facility and its equipment had cost approximately $3.8 million to establish, with the Victorian Government’s contribution not disclosed.
The Victorian Government stated that the plant was established to manufacture ADCs for research, clinical trials, and commercial distribution. According to the Government, ADCs had been shown to enhance survival outcomes and patient quality of life by delivering powerful chemotherapy agents directly to cancer cells with high specificity.
The Government also noted the compounds’ substantial impact on breast cancer treatment, particularly in cases of metastatic, HER2-positive, and triple-negative breast cancers. It was stated that local production would improve Australians’ access to these critical therapies.
Eighty-eight highly specialised local positions were said to have been created through the factory’s opening, positioning Victoria as a global leader in the manufacture of advanced cancer therapies.
Minister Brooks said the facility “positioned Victoria at the forefront of cancer treatment innovation, saving lives and strengthening sovereign manufacturing capabilities.”
“Through the Victorian Industry Policy, support is being provided to the medical technology sector to drive global leadership in research and production, attract investment, and generate new jobs,” he said.
Mr McDonald stated the facility would enable “novel ADCs to progress from discovery to treatments that can save lives.”
For more information and the full media release, click here.
