Cambrex, Catalent, Lonza, Avantor, PCI Pharma Services Expand
The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring Cambrex, Catalent, Lonza, Avantor, PCI Pharma Services, MilliporeSigma, Solvias, Avid Bioservices and others.
Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing
Cambrex To Invest $3.6 M to Expand API Mfg Facility
Cambrex, a CDMO of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products, is investing $3.6 million at its Karlskoga, Sweden facility to increase drug-substance manufacturing capacity.
The expansion, which will convert a previously customer-dedicated manufacturing train, will include an additional production line at 6-m³ scale to result in a 25% capacity increase at the facility. Engineering work has already commenced at the facility and is expected to be completed by November 2020. The work involves modification of an existing four-reactor configuration and the installation of new holding tanks and a 4-m2 Hastelloy Rosemund filter.
Cambrex’s site in Karlskoga employs over 400 people and has four pilot plants and five full-scale commercial production units. In 2019, a new 600-m2 process and analytical development facility was added to the site, along with a 3,000-m2 logistics center.
Source: Cambrex
Biologics Manufacturing
MilliporeSigma Acquires Resolution Spectra Systems
MilliporeSigma has acquired Resolution Spectra Systems, a Meylan, France-based company that specializes in bioprocessing monitoring sensors based on Raman technology. Financial details were not disclosed.
This acquisition supports MilliporeSigma’s recently launched Bio4C Software Suite, which combines process control, analytics, and plant-level automation in bioprocessing. The Raman technology-based bioprocess-monitoring sensors complement the “collect” dimension of the Bio4C Software Suite as it provides real-time process analytics across multiple process parameters via in-line measurement.
Source: MilliporeSigma
Avantor Expands Bioprocessing Innovation Center
Avantor, a supplier of ultra-high-purity materials for the life sciences and advanced technology industries, has expanded its innovation center in Bridgewater, New Jersey by nearly doubling laboratory and support space for bioprocessing products.
The expanded innovation center enhances the company’s R&D support for customized product and bioprocess development and custom cell- and gene-therapy reagent manufacturing. The site’s capabilities support new bioprocessing products designed to help minimize the risk of contamination and variability for cell and gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines, and include high-purity products, single-use products, and small-volume cGMP reagents in single- use bags
The Bridgewater innovation center expansion follows the December 2019 opening of Avantor’s innovation and customer support center in Shanghai, China.
Source: Avantor
Avid Bioservices Names New President and CEO
Avid Bioservices, a contract biologics manufacturer, has announced the appointment of Nicholas Green as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors, effective July 30, 2020.
Mr. Green will succeed Rick Hancock who has served as interim president and CEO since May 2019. Mr. Hancock will continue to serve on Avid’s Board of Directors.
Mr. Green has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare services industry with expertise in contract manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. Most recently, he has served as president and CEO of Therapure Biopharma, a Mississauga, Ontario-based biopharmaceutical company, which includes Therapure Biomanufacturing. In this role, he oversaw the growth of the company’s CDMO business while also leading the creation of Therapure’s proprietary plasma protein business. Prior to Therapure, he held a number of senior management roles, including Managing Director of Nipa Laboratories Ltd., Head of the Life Science Division of Clariant International Ltd. in the US, President and CEO of Rhodia Pharma Solutions Ltd., and President of Codexis, Inc.’s pharma division.
Source: Avid Bioservices
Formulation Development and Drug-Product Manufacturing
Lonza Expands Particle-Engineering Services in Switzerland, US
Lonza has announced additional investments in its particle-engineering network to expand jet-milling and spray-dry processing for development at its US and European sites and to enhance processing capabilities.
The company says development capacity has been doubled at its micronization site in Monteggio, Switzerland with investments for a new glove-box for isolation, upgraded process controls, and expanded operator teams. A new micronization development wing has also been brought on line at the company’s site in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Additionally, a new pharmaceutical spray dryer dedicated to development projects has been added at the company’s site in Bend, Oregon.
Lonza has also expanded its specialized processing capability within its particle engineering platform. During the last 12 months (as reported on July 1, 2020), the Monteggio site has revamped its processing assets to allow for 100% segregation of steroids and hormone compounds. Lonza says two new rooms have been designed to reach a proper containment level to meet requirements maintaining a high throughput of the micronization processes.
As part of Lonza’s focus on expanded particle-engineering services, the company says an external sale of jet-milling equipment and containment systems will be curtailed, and going forward, the Monteggio-based engineering and technical team will be focused on supporting the delivery of the company’s micronization services.
Source: Lonza
Catalent Completes $3.2-M Softgels Expansion
Catalent has completed a $3.2-million expansion program at its consumer health manufacturing facilities in Strathroy, Canada and Sorocaba, Brazil to include new softgel encapsulation lines at each site.
The expansion projects include new softgel encapsulation lines at each site for Catalent’s proprietary Vegicaps plant-based capsule and CosmoPod twist-off capsule technologies. The increased capacity can be used for plant-based vitamins, minerals and supplements using the company’s Vegicaps capsules and for unit-dose beauty care products through its CosmoPod technology.
Catalent’s 110,000-square-foot facility in Strathroy, Ontario and its 124,600-square-foot facility in Sorocaba, Brazil provide formulation, manufacturing, and packaging services.
Source: Catalent
Packaging
Catalent Completes Purchase of Teva–Takeda Packaging Facility in Japan
Catalent has completed the purchase of Teva–Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ packaging facility in Minakuchi, Shiga, Japan.
Operating in partnership with the company’s existing Japanese clinical supply facility located in Kakegawa, the new 60,000-square-foot facility will provide clinical supply services for both local and global companies. The facility will offer clinical supply services, including access to Catalent’s FastChain supply services, primary and secondary packaging capabilities, a range of temperature options for storage and distribution, as well as clinical returns and destruction services.
In addition to Japan, the company’s Asia-Pacific clinical supply services network includes two sites in China and one in Singapore.
Source: Catalent
Jones Healthcare Group To Add Bottle Line
Jones Healthcare Group, a provider of advanced packaging and medication-dispensing product and services, is expanding bottling capabilities with an investment in a new bottle line at its facility in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
The Uhlmann bottle line features filling speeds up to 150 bottles per minute, 100% counting accuracy using Cremer technology, and a complete inspection and rejection system for all critical quality parameters. The line accommodates multiple bottle shapes, sizes and construction, with integrated cartoning and bundling technology.
The new bottle line is anticipated to be operational mid-next year in 2021.
Source: Jones Healthcare Group
PCI Pharma Services Completes Expansion of Packaging Center; Plans More
PCI Pharma Services, a CDMO and contract provider of packaging services, has completed an expansion of its new Biotech Packaging Center of Excellence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has announced an expansion of packaging operations in Ireland for biologics and injectable drug products.
The new Biotech Packaging Center of Excellence in Philadelphia is the company’s new US biologics flagship site. Additionally, PCI is planning to expand its biotech packaging capabilities at its operations in Ireland to complement existing capabilities in the UK and Germany. The expansions include increasing high-speed automatic syringe assembly and labeling, vial labeling and cartoning, auto-injector assembly and a build-out of existing cold-storage capabilities and manufacturing suites.
Source: PCI Pharma Services
General
Lonza’s Specialty Ingredients COO Stepping Down
Lonza reports that Sven Abend, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its Specialty Ingredients Segment, has decided to resign from his position and as a member of the company’s Executive Committee. He will relocate to Germany, where he has accepted the role of CEO for an undisclosed company.
Abend has been COO of Lonza’s Specialty Ingredients Segment since 2016 and has been a member of the Executive Committee since July 2014 when he joined Lonza as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer.
Lonza says he will complete a full handover of his key responsibilities before his departure. Lonza had announced last year (2019) that it is carving out its Specialty Ingredients Segment, which consists of products for microbial control. The company said that its drawing close to the completion of the segment carve-out process.
Source: Lonza
Solvias Acquired by Investment Firms; Names Ex-Patheon Exec as Chairman
Solvias, a contract research, development and manufacturing organization, has completed an agreement with strategic healthcare investors, Water Street Healthcare Partners and JLL Partners, under which the investment firms have fully acquired the company.
The company also has appointed Michael J. Lehmann, former Chief Commercial Officer and President of Global Pharmaceutical Development Services for Patheon, a division of Thermo Fisher Scientific, as Chairman and a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
Source: Solvias, Water Street Healthcare Partners, JLL Partners
Almac Launches Device for Clinical-Site Temperature Management
Almac Clinical Services, part of the Almac Group, a Craigavon, UK-based CDMO, has launched Tempod 1000 as part of the company’s site compliance and temperature-management offering for sponsors.
Tempod 1000 is a USB device that captures and stores clinical-site temperature and automatically identifies unreported excursions once uploaded into TempEZ, Almac’s web-based temperature data-management system.
Source: Almac