PCI Pharma Expands; Almac in Blockchain Working Group

The latest news from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring news from Colorcon, PCI Pharma Services, Almac and AMRI.

Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing

Colorcon Launches $50-Million Venture Capital Fund

Colorcon, an excipients manufacturer, has established Colorcon Ventures, a corporate venture capital fund with Touchdown Ventures, with $50 million in funding.

Colorcon’s business is focused on coating systems, modified-release technologies and functional excipients for use in pharmaceutical immediate and modified-release dosage forms. Colorcon Ventures is a venture fund focused on startups that are strategically relevant to the Colorcon business. Colorcon says the fund will target investments in solutions across manufacturing, supply chain, and delivery of pharmaceutical products and services. The fund is not investing in companies developing active ingredients or molecules.

The company says the fund will be stage-agnostic, with an emphasis on early- and mid-stage companies that demonstrate product market fit and revenue growth. Colorcon says Colorcon Ventures will invest in startups where the company can add value in the form of subject-matter expertise or commercial relationships.

Touchdown Ventures will help manage the Colorcon Ventures fund. Touchdown will work closely with senior executives of Colorcon in all aspects of operating the fund.

Source: Colorcon

Packaging

PCI Pharma Services Opens Expansion in Rockford, Illinois

PCI Pharma Services has opened its 30,000-square-foot expansion to its Clinical Center of Excellence in Rockford, Illinois.

Construction began in November 2018 and was completed in September 2019 to provide additional space with increased flexibility and scalability for primary and secondary packaging, labeling, and 2-8 °C cold-chain storage. The expansion includes a new customer reception area as well as increased office space to support PCI staff growth.

The Rockford site is the largest of PCI’s eight locations across the US, EU and Asia Pacific regions.

Source: PCI Pharma

 

General

Almac Participates in Global Clinical Supply BlockChain Working Group

Almac Group, a CMO of integrated services, is participating in the Global Clinical Supply BlockChain Working group (GCSBWG). The multi-stakeholder group, spearheaded by Biogen and Pfizer, is evaluating the use of blockchain in clinical trial materials supply.

Upon completion of Phase I of the GSCWG, the group published a whitepaper entitled Transforming Pharmaceutical Clinical Supply Messaging with BlockChain, which outlines the program’s highlights to date. A proof-of-concept iOS mobile application called “Kit Chain MVP” has been built upon a hyperledger fabric-permissioned blockchain infrastructure, a platform for building various blockchain-based products, which stimulates discussion among clinical supply-chain participants. The goal of the working group is to envision a messaging and notification platform that can support the performance requirements of the whole clinical supply chain.

Almac’s Mark Hanly, Strategic Business Analysis Manager and Mark McColgan, Software Development Manager, will continue to work alongside a diverse group of global academia, pharmaceutical companies and other CMOs through the next phases of the working group.

Source: Almac

 

AMRI Enters into Agreement with Translate Bio for mRNA Manufacturing

Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI) has entered into a multi-year manufacturing agreement with Translate Bio, a clinical-stage messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics company. The agreement will support the planned expansion of Translate Bio’s current cGMP clinical mRNA manufacturing capabilities.

Under the five-year agreement, AMRI will build out new, dedicated cGMP clinical manufacturing suites that will support Translate Bio’s manufacturing needs. Translate Bio’s lead program is an inhaled mRNA therapeutic in an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial in patients with cystic fibrosis. Other discovery efforts include next-generation delivery programs for applications in diseases that affect the liver.

Source: AMRI

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