CDMO, CMO, Supplier Roundup in Supporting COVID-19 Projects
The latest from CDMOs/CMOs and suppliers in COVID-19 projects featuring Avid Bioservices and Abzena.
Biologics Manufacturing
Avid Bioservices, Humanigen in Mfg Pact for COVID-19 Therapeutic
Avid Bioservices, a biologics CDMO, and Humanigen, a Burlingame, California-based biopharmaceutical company, have entered into a manufacturing services agreement to expand production capacity for lenzilumab, Humanigen’s therapeutic candidate in development for COVID-19.
Under the agreement, Avid will initiate technical transfer and analytical validation activities for lenzilumab with the goal of delivering drug-substance batches to support Humanigen’s regulatory and potential commercial activities. The collaboration enhances commercial production efforts for lenzilumab in advance of potential filings for emergency use authorization and subsequent biologics license application later this year (2021).
Lenzilumab is an anti-human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor monoclonal antibody designed to prevent and treat an immune hyper-response called “cytokine storm” associated with COVID-19. Humanigen has completed enrollment for a Phase III study of 520 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Source: Avid Bioservices and Humanigen
Abzena, Immunome in Development, Mfg Pact for COVID-19 Antibody
Immunome, an Exton, Pennsylvania-based biopharmaceutical company, has selected Abzena, a contract manufacturer of biologics and antibody drug conjugates, as a partner research organization for Immunome’s IMM-BCP-01, an investigational therapeutic antibody cocktail for the treatment of COVID-19 being developed to target multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens.
Abzena will work with Immunome to produce the antibody cocktail for clinical testing. In July 2020, Immunome was awarded a $13.3-million agreement executed by the US Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency, to support this program.
Source: Immunome
