NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL FINE CHEMICAL AND CUSTOM MANUFACTURING SECTOR

Tuesday 31 July 2012

CMC acquires Xoma facility

CMC Biologics has acquired Xoma's large-scale biologics manufacturing operations Berkeley, CA. The 3100m2 facility includes three 2750L stainless steel bioreactors and two purification suites. CMC expects to begin offering contract manufacturing services from Berkeley when the transaction closes.
GEN

Thursday 26 July 2012

Custom manufacturing "firm" for Lonza

Lonza reported H1 revenues increasing to CHF1.9bn. The company said demand in its custom manufacturing business was firm, resulting in capacity utilisation above 75% in both chemical and biological plants, as well as a strong project pipeline. Lonza said it had provided a full response to the FDA regarding the 2011 warning letter received at its Hopkinton, MA, plant and that corrective action had been taken. Looking to the future, the company said it has initiated an investment in formulated products.
Reuters

Dalton Pharma Services provided API development and manufacturing for a Dengue fever clinical trial in Singapore


Dalton

Quarterly record sales for SAFC

Sigma-Aldrich's fine chemicals business, SAFC, reported sales of $223m in Q2, with organic growth of 8% over 2011. Company president and ceo Rakesh Sachdev said "We were pleased by the improved performance of our SAFC custom pharma business, which saw solid growth in cGMP manufactured products in second quarter 2012." Sanchev said the division had double digit sales growth for custom-manufactured high-potency compounds to pharma customers which he attributed to customers recognising the company's investment in HPAPI capacity in Wisconsin.
Seeking Alpha

Piramal Healthcare will change its name to Piramal Enterprises following its increase in business activities


Economic Times

Thursday 19 July 2012

Novasep invests in HPAPI manufacturing

Novasep is investing €3m to expand its highly potent API manufacturing capabilities at its Le Mans, France facility. The expansion will allow Novasep to serve the increased demand for manufacturing of novel anti-cancer therapies. The new facility will include the capability to perform cryogenic chemistry at -60C in hastelloy reactors. The company will also add large-scale HPLC chromatography and drying in confined areas to manufacture ADC toxins at commercial scale. The plant expansion is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2013.
Novasep

ScinoPharm will manufacture topiramate the API for Vivus' Qsymia, approved by the FDA earlier this week


ScinoPharm

Record Q2 for Albemarle's fine chemicals

Albemarle reported record sales in Q2 2012 at $208.7m up 13% on 2011. The company attributed this to favourable volumes and pricing, partly offset by unfavorable foreign currency impacts.
Seeking Alpha

DSM Pharmaceutical Products will provide process development and cGMP manufacture for one of Recepta Biopharma's lead antibodies in Groningen, The Netherlands


Pharmaceutical Business Review

Israel and Switzerland have requested exclusion from the EU's rules for API importation


In-pharma Technologist

Monday 9 July 2012

Siegfried to build API plant in China

Siegfried, supported by the Chinese development organisation NETDA, will build an API manufacturing plant in Nantong, China. The facility will meet cGMP standards. Siegfried said the site has space for a second phase, which may include finished dosage form production. The new facility is expected to be on-stream in 2014.
Pharmaceutical Business Review

ScinoPharm invests in cytotoxic manufacturing

ScinoPharm will invest $37.6m in the construction of a high potency cytotoxic injectable plant at Tainan Science Park. ScinoPharm said the new facility will include space for R&D, quality control, washing, sterilisation, manufacturing, filling, lyophilisation, packaging, and storage. The company expects the plant to be completed in 2014.
ScinoPharm

Aesica plans to add 100 jobs at its Queensborough, UK, facility


Aesica

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Dishman to cancel SEZ project

Dishman is to exit its special economic zone in Ahmedebad, India, and sell the land for $108m. In 2009, Dishman merged its engineering SEZ into its pharma SEZ.
Economic Times

Lonza has extended its XS Technology platformm to two additional microbial systems: pacha pastoris and bacillius subtilis


Lonza

Albemarle expands API capacity

Albemarle has expanded and upgraded its API manufacturing facility in South Haven, MI. The new capacity came online on 1 June. The investment at South Haven matches the solids handling equipment with the reactor capacity and Albemare claims it will enable the company to advance its growing portfolio of custom API products.
In Pharm

Amag moves to contract manufacturing

Amag Pharmaceuticals plans to close its manufacturing facility in Cambridge, MA, and is moving to an outsourced manufacturing model. The company will reduce its workforce by 45 as a result of the disposal.
Aman Pharmaceuticals