As part of its 2017 operating results review, ImmunoGen said it is adopting a new manufacturing strategy moving forward. The company will shift to an operating model that will rely on external manufacturing and quality testing for drug substance and drug product for its development programs.

It said the implementation of this new operating model will lead to the ramp-down of manufacturing and quality activities at the company’s Norwood, MA facility by the end of 2018, with a full exit of the site by early 2019. Decommissioning the Norwood facility will result in anticipated cost savings of over $20 million during the next five years.

The Norwood facility has been a long-standing staple of ImmunoGen’s business, making drug products at the site for more than 25 years.