Pharma manufacturing news in brief
pharmafile | January 7, 2010 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â Acino, AlphaRx, DSM BioSolutions, Enzon, Indoco Remedies, Jubilant Organosys, Mayoly Spindler, NYK Logistics, Ranbaxy, Venturepharm LaboratoriesÂ
Our round-up of developments in manufacturing includes contracts for DSM and Venturepharm, facility updates from Indoco and Jubilant, and an update on the sale of Enzon’s specialty pharma business.
Enzon of the USA has set a date of 27 January for the shareholder vote on the proposed sale of its specialty pharmaceutical business, including its contract manufacturing operations, to Italy’s Sigma-Tau. The deal is valued at approximately $327 million.
DSM BioSolutions has been awarded a contract to manufacture clinical supplies of a lipase drug developed by French biotechnology company Mayoly Spindler. The lipase-based compound, known as MS819, is being developed as a candidate treatment for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, an inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. The disease is estimated to affect around 200,000 people in the US, according to Mayoly Spindler. DSM will make the API at its fermentation facility in Capua, Italy.
Dr Wolfgang Niedermaier, head of German operations at Swiss contract manufacturer and product development company Acino, has decided to leave the company for “personal reasons”. From January 1, 2010, his responsibilities will be assumed by Acino chief executive Dr Axel Mueller.
Indian contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) company Indoco Remedies has said it plans to invest 400 million rupees ($8.6 million) in its manufacturing facility in Goa in order to increase capacity and help it service a number of new contracts due to be signed in the coming months for the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulation technologies, according to the company’s website.
NYK Logistics (UK) Ltd has won a major contract from Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy, a subsidiary of Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo. Under the new agreement NYK will handle storage and distribution of all Ranbaxy products in the UK from its distribution centre in Northampton.
Jubilant Organosys, India’s largest CRAMS company, has said it plans to open a new facility for manufacturing vitamin B3 compounds niacinamide and 3-cyanopyridine by the end of 2010. The plant in Uttar Pradesh will be able to make 10,000 tones of both compounds a year. Both compounds are used in the manufacture of a number of pharmaceutical agents, such as diabetes and lipid-lowering medicines.
AlphaRx has signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Venturepharm Laboratories of Hong Kong for the manufacture of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for ARX1088, an orally active interferon inducer intended for the adjunctive treatment of hepatitis. AlphaRx has advanced ARX1088 into preclinical development and is gearing up to start clinical trials of the drug in China.
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