Pharma manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | May 17, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â manufacturing and productionÂ
There are new facilities for Alexion, Biovest and Pharmascience, a production contract for Dalton Pharma Services and progress in Codexis’ biocatalysis alliance with Teva in this week’s roundup of pharmaceutical manufacturing news.
Canada’s Dalton Pharma Services has won a contract to provide aseptic fill/finish services and analytical support for Zafgen’s lead obesity treatment. Zafgen is currently conducting a phase Ib proof-of-concept clinical trial in Australia, using intravenous administration of a small molecule drug compound called ZGN-433, which tackles obesity via a novel mechanism that directly targets and shrinks adipose tissue.
Codexis of the UK has reported progress in its agreement with Israeli drugmaker Teva focusing on the use of proprietary biocatalysts for manufacturing three undisclosed Teva products. Among the three products, two have been transferred for pilot manufacturing and the remaining one for full scale commercial manufacturing. Under the agreement, Teva will use Codexis’ biocatalysis technology for re-engineering key process steps for manufacturing the generics.
Biovest has completed the construction of a 3,000 sq.ft. personalised cancer vaccine manufacturing cleanroom at its 35,000 sq.ft. facility in Coon Rapids, Florida. The new unit will be used to manufacture BiovaxID, Biovest’s late-stage, autologous, active immunotherapy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is currently in phase III testing. To date Biovest has relied on contract manufacturing organisations for supplies of the drug.
Alexion Pharmaceutical is expanding its manufacturing plant in Rhode Island, USA, with 20,000 sq.ft. of new laboratory and office space, according to a report in The Providence Journal. The move could add around 40 jobs to the company’s current headcount of 125 at the facility, which is used to make Alexion’s Soliris (eculizumab) treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, a rare, life-threatening genetic disease that causes red blood cells to break down.
Pharmascience has officially opened a $40 million expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Montreal, completed with the aid of the Canadian and Quebec governments. The company said the new equipment and manufacturing capacity would “not only result in the creation of 180 highly skilled jobs by 2012, but will help secure the company’s current 1,300”. Pharmascience makes around 250 over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals in Montreal, and is Quebec’s largest pharma company.
Phil Taylor
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