TriRx Acquires Elanco Mfg Facility; Metrics, Celanese Expand
The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring TriRx Pharmaceutical Services, Catalent, Metrics Contract Services, Celanese, and Pii.
Biologics Manufacturing
Catalent Completes Acquisition of RheinCell Therapeutics
Catalent has completed its acquisition of RheinCell Therapeutics, a Langenfeld, Germany-based developer and manufacturer of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
iPSCs are cells that can be differentiated into various cell types to address a range of therapeutic indications. Founded in 2017, RheinCell has undertaken research and development of full human leukocyte antigen-matched cell banks as well as invested in development-scale operational capabilities. RheinCell’s current employees will join Catalent’s Cell & Gene Therapy business.
Source: Catalent
Formulation Development/Drug-Product Manufacturing
TriRx Completes Acquisition of Elanco Animal Health Mfg Facility
TriRx Pharmaceutical Services, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based CDMO serving bio/pharmaceutical and animal health markets, has completed its acquisition of Elanco Animal Health’s manufacturing site in Shawnee, Kansas. The two companies also entered into a long-term supply agreement for this site.
Elanco Animal Health is the former animal-health business of Eli Lilly and Company and is now a stand-alone company.
The Shawnee facility offers capabilities to manufacture animal health and human health products. The sale includes the physical assets of the site and approximately 300 personnel.
TriRx also executed a previously announced agreement with Elanco to acquire its Speke site in the UK and expects that deal to close in the first quarter of 2022.
Source: TriRx Pharmaceutical Services
Metrics Contract Services Expands Oral Solid-Dose Facility
Metrics Contract Services, a CDMO of oral solid-dosage forms, has expanded its oral solid-dose commercial facility in Greenville, North Carolina by adding 3,760 square feet of production space and new equipment.
The expansion completes a further $10-million investment following the completion of an $80-million project in 2018 and consists of three new manufacturing suites, including: (1) a combination dispensing/flex room; (2) a flex room; and (3) a dedicated suite to house a newly commissioned Fette FE55 contained tablet press with bilayer capability.
The expansion project began in the third quarter 2020. Metrics says it is looking ahead at the next phase of investment with the addition of further potent handling expansion and potential adjacent formulation technologies.
Source: Metrics Contract Services
Celanese Opens Drug-Delivery Feasibility Lab
Celanese, a chemical company and excipient producer, has expanded its research and development center in Florence, Kentucky with the addition of a pharmaceutical drug-delivery feasibility lab.
The new feasibility lab will drive new development for long-acting controlled-release drug delivery. Services include: material characterization; injection molding, hot-melt extrusion, and other prototyping capabilities; monolithic or multi-layer drug-loaded prototypes; in vitro characterization and drug-release studies; and tooling design and development.
Source: Celanese
Pii To Include West’s Container-Closure Components in Aseptic Fill-Finish Capabilities
Pharmaceutics International, Inc. (Pii), a Hunt Valley, Maryland-based CDMO, will include the Daikyo Crystal Zenith container-closure components, offered by West Pharmaceutical Services, a manufacturer of packaging and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products, as part of its aseptic fill–finish capabilities across vials, syringes and cartridges.
Source: Pharmaceutics International, Inc.