SCM wins contract to make high-potency cancer drug
pharmafile | May 31, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â SCM Pharma, Speciality European PharmaÂ
UK contract manufacturing organisation SCM Pharma has been awarded a contract to make commercial supplies of a cancer drug due to start rolling out in Europe later this year.
Speciality European Pharma selected SCM to make Plenaxis (abarelix for injection) – a treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer which debuted in Germany in 2008 as the world’s first gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH) blocker.
The product provides a rapid and sustained decline in testosterone levels, which allows for quick and sustained control of prostate cancer and its symptoms, according to SEP. Additional launches across Europe are planned for 2011.
The initial manufacturing development agreement between the two firms covers the development and validation of the manufacturing and product testing processes at SCM’s 17,000 sq. ft. facility in Northumberland, UK.
If successful, SCM hopes to be appointed the exclusive outsourcing partner for sterile filling of Plenaxis vials, a sensitive process which requires rigorous containment due to the extremely high-potency of the active ingredient.
“Our decision to select [SCM] as our contract filling partner comes after a lengthy process to identify a European-based CMO that could handle this type of product and also offer the flexibility to meet increased future demand from across Europe”, said SEP’s vice president of operations Tim Record.
Faced with increasing competition from contract manufacturers in emerging markets such as Asia, CMOs have started to develop highly-specialised capabilities which offer high barriers to entry.
SCM Pharma, which started operating in 2008, is very much in that mould, specialising in niche services such as sterile-filling, high-potency and radiopharmaceuticals production, as well as bespoke and short runs.
Dianne Sharp, managing director at SCM Pharma, said the project with SEP is “a real milestone for our business”.
“It should lead to the securing of another long-term commercial contract and … further reinforces our position of assisting pharmaceutical companies developing or requiring supply of cancer products”, she added.
Phil Taylor
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