Supplier News: Fujifilm Diosynth, WuXi STA, Olon & More
The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, WuXi STA, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Olon, MilliporeSigma, Asymchem, Alcami, ten23 health, Abzena, Roquette, Quotient Sciences and Frontage Laboratories.
Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing
* Asymchem Terminates Planned Acquisition of Snapdragon Chemistry
Biologics Manufacturing
* Thermo Fisher Opens New $160-M Bioprocessing Materials Mfg Facility
* Fujifilm Diosynth Breaks Ground on Microbial Mfg Expansion in UK
* Olon Investing $29 M Plan To Expand Recombinant Peptide Mfg
* MilliporeSigma Opens $29-M Biologics Testing Site
* Abzena Adds B Cell Antibody Discovery Services
Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing
* WuXi STA Opens High-Potency Oral Drug Mfg Facility
* Ten23 Health Advances Sterile Manufacturing Facility
* Vectura Plans $62-M Inhalation Center of Excellence
* Alcami Adds Solid-State Characterization Lab
* Roquette, Barentz Partner for Product Distribution in Canada
* Quotient Sciences Expands Formulation Development Capacity
* Frontage Laboratories Opens New Lab
Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing
Asymchem Terminates Planned Acquisition of Snapdragon Chemistry
Asymchem, a Tianjin, China-based CDMO of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredints and drug products, and Snapdragon Chemistry, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based provider of flow-chemistry process design and technology development services, have mutually terminated their $57.94-million acquisition of Snapdragon Chemistry by Asymchem. The companies had previously announced the acquisition in February (February 2022).
Snapdragon and Asymchem were unable to agree to mitigation terms that would satisfy the US Treasury’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). CFIUS was established in 1975 with the authority to block direct foreign investment in US companies on national security grounds.
Source: Snapdragon Chemistry
Biologics Manufacturing
Thermo Fisher Opens New $160-M Bioprocessing Materials Mfg Facility
Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a $160-million, 85,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for bioprocessing materials, including resins used in purification, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
The new site is part of Thermo Fisher’s $650-million multi-year investment to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities. When fully staffed, the Chelmsford site will employ up to 250 people in roles across manufacturing, engineering, procurement, quality, warehousing, and site leadership.
Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Fujifilm Diosynth Breaks Ground on Microbial Mfg Expansion in UK
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies has started an expansion of its large-scale microbial manufacturing facility in Billingham, UK.
The expansion is part of a previously announced £400 million ($429 million) investment at the company’s UK site, to expand cell-culture capabilities, viral vector and gene-therapy services, and microbial production. The microbial manufacturing expansion will include over 1,858 square meters (20,000 square feet) of modular cleanroom space, including two primary recovery and refolding suites, two purification suites and a column packing room. Once the expansion is complete in late 2023/early 2024, the manufacturing capacity of the large-scale microbial production facility will increase by 70%. The complete expansion is expected to create up to 350 jobs.
Source: Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies
Olon Investing $29 M Plan To Expand Recombinant Peptide Mfg
Olon, a Rodano (Milan), Italy-based CDMO of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, is investing EUR 30 million ($29 million) to expand peptide manufacturing for recombinant peptides at its Settimo Torinese Biotech Center in Italy.
The first part of the two-year plan involves creating a line for producing peptides in small volumes, typically those administered by injection and to support early-stages development. The second part of expansion involves creating a system designed for large volumes of peptides.
Source: Olon
MilliporeSigma Opens $29 M Biologics Testing Site
MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, has opened a viral clearance (VC) laboratory as part of the first building phase of its new EUR 29-million ($29-million), 53,000- square-foot China Biologics Testing Center.
The first phase of the center adds laboratory capacity for VC studies. The VC laboratory will add around 120 jobs by 2023. The second phase of the center’s facilities will open in late 2023 and will offer cell-line characterization and lot-release testing services.
Source: MilliporeSigma
Abzena Adds B Cell Antibody Discovery Services
Abzena, a Cambridge, UK-based CDMO of biologics and antibody drug conjugates, has upgraded its R&D capabilities to include primary B cell antibody discovery technologies. The company has implemented the Berkley Lights’ Beacon system, a platform that supports antibody discovery by isolating single B cells from a target-primed cohort of lymphocytes. The company has also appointed Jamie Campbell as Vice President of Research & Development.
Abzena is also working on its high throughput small-scale production capabilities. This will support B cell antibody discovery by facilitating testing for affinity, stability, and mechanism of action early in the assay cascade.
Source: Abzena
Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing
WuXi STA Opens High-Potency Oral Drug Mfg Facility
WuXi STA, a CDMO of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug products and subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, has opened a high-potency oral drug product manufacturing facility at its site in Wuxi, China. The facility offers multiple formulation processes, including wet and dry granulation, tablet compression and coating, and capsule filling, with an annual production capacity of 400 million tablets and 200 million capsules.
The site is near the company’s existing high-potency API manufacturing facilities in Changzhou and Shanghai Jinshan, China.
Separately, WuXi STA is slated to open a new high-potency sterile parenteral production plant in the third quarter of 2023 at its Wuxi campus.
The drug-product expansions follow other recent investment by the company in drug-product manufacturing. In August (August 2022), the company broke ground for a new pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Middletown, Delaware, which will provide formulation development and clinical and commercial drug-product manufacturing services in Phase I. Last year (2021), WuXi STA established its first Europe-based drug-product manufacturing facility in Couvet, Switzerland, which provides tablet and capsule commercial manufacturing and packaging.
Source: WuXi STA
Ten23 Health Advances Sterile Manufacturing Facility
ten23 health, a Basel, Switzerland-based CDMO of injectable drugs, has completed the initial phase of construction for a new large-scale sterile manufacturing facility in Visp, Switzerland. The company has completed the construction of the building, and next phase of construction will be for interior setup. When complete, the facility will have two sterile production lines and 5,000 square meters of space, with 30 million units/year of fill–finish commercial and clinical capacity.
The facility is expected to be operational in 2024.
Source: ten23 health
Vectura Plans $62-M Inhalation Center of Excellence
Vectura, a Chippenham, UK-based CDMO of respiratory drugs, has obtained planning permission for a new £58 million ($62 million), 10,000-square meter Inhalation Center of Excellence in the Bristol & Bath Science Park in Emersons Green, South Gloucestershire, England. The center is expected to be completed in 2025.
Source: Vectura
Alcami Adds Solid-State Characterization Lab
Alcami, a Wilmington, North Carolina-based CDMO of drug products and analytical testing services, has added a 12,000-square-foot solid-state characterization laboratory, which is co-located to its Morrisville, North Carolina, laboratory.
Source: Alcami
Roquette, Barentz Partner for Product Distribution in Canada
Roquette, an excipient manufacturer, has appointed Barentz, a distributor of ingredients in life-science markets, as its strategic partner for the distribution of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products in Canada, effective January 2023.
Source: Roquette
Quotient Sciences Expands Formulation Development Capacity
Quotient Sciences, a Nottingham, UK-based CDMO of active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products, has completed a £1.5 million ($1.6 million) expansion of its early development and manufacturing facility in Reading, UK, to double its formulation development and analytical footprint at the facility.
In addition, the company has opened a 17,000-square-foot clinical pharmacology facility In Nottingham, UK, which includes 40 beds with ancillary volunteer lounges, processing labs, a dispensary, and controlled storage. The new facility is located alongside its formulation development, manufacturing, and clinical operations facilities at its Nottingham campus.
Source: Quotient Sciences
Frontage Laboratories Opens New Lab
Frontage Laboratories, an Exton, Pennsylvania-based contract research organization, has opened a 19,000-square-foot laboratory in Hayward, California, to provide ligand binding assay services to support pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and biomarker analysis for protein therapeutics and bioanalytical testing for preclinical and clinical use.
Source: Frontage Laboratories
