Pharma manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | October 26, 2010 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â AMRI, BASF, BMS, Bend Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Parmetics, Stirling Pharma, Vical, pharma manufacturingÂ
This week’s round-up of pharmaceutical manufacturing news features updates from Pharmetics, AMRI, Bend Research/BMS, Stirling Pharma, Vical and BASF.
A facility operated by Canadian consumer healthcare manufacturer Pharmetics in Fort Erie, Quebec, is under threat of closure. The plant carries out contract manufacturing work for pharmaceutical clients and employs around 200 staff. Pharmetics said the intention is to phase out production at the facility over the coming months while it tries to find a buyer.
David Lathbury has joined AMRI as vice president of chemical development, assuming the leadership of the company’s chemical development business, including operations in Albany, Rensselaer and Syracuse, New York. He will also be responsible for the coordination of global projects spanning all AMRI chemical development operations, including sites in Wales and India. Lathbury will report to Dr Steven Hagen, vice president of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.
Bend Research has signed a three-year drug discovery and development services agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb in which the drugmaker will use Bend’s formulation development and manufacturing services for preclinical and clinical development. The US firm will also manufacture drug product intermediates and drug products at its cGMP facility for BMS’ clinical trials. Bend is also making its proprietary spray-dried dispersion (SDD) technology available to BMS.
Australian drugmaker Stirling Pharmaceuticals has received a site license from Health Canada for the manufacturing, packaging and labelling of natural health products at its manufacturing facility in Cape Breton. A second inspection at the end of November will assess the plant’s suitability to make pharmaceuticals, including acetaminophen. Stirling bought the plant from a Canadian company which went into administration last year.
Vical has signed a contract to manufacture plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccines against HIV under a $2.4 million contract with the IPPOX Foundation, which is spearheading a DNA/poxvirus vaccine approach to the infection that has already progressed into phase II clinical testing. Vical will manufacture plasmids coding for four HIV antigens – Env, Gag, Pol and Nef – and deliver them to the IPPOX Foundation by the end of the year.
BASF has added two micro-reactors at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, for the small-scale manufacture of chemical products. One reactor can produce samples of up to about 20kg, while the other has a capacity of 1-50 tonnes. The micro-reactors operate continuously and are used for reactions that require high pressure or release high levels of heat, according to the chemical giant. BASF said it will use the micro-reactors to upscale processes developed in labs to manufacturing processes that suit larger pilot plants.
Phil Taylor
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