The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring CordenPharma, Avantor, Adare Pharma Solutions, Fujifilm Irvine Scientific, PharmaBlock, and Jones Healthcare Group.

Chemicals/Chemical API Manufacturing

PharmaBlock Appoints New CEO
PharmaBlock, a chemistry products and services provider, and name Dr. Wenfang Miao, formery the company’s Senior Vice President of Quality, as its CEO. Dr. Miao joined PharmaBlock as Senior Vice President of Quality in 2020. She is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D, quality control, quality assurance, and CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and control) regulatory affairs. Prior to joining PharmaBlock, Dr. Miao served as Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Pharmaron and Vice President at WuXi STA Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Miao also worked in CMC development at GlaxoSmithKline and Elan Pharmaceuticals in the US.

Source: PharmaBlock

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Biologics Manufacturing

Fujifilm Irvine Scientific Establishes Bioprocessing Center
Fujifilm Irvine Scientific, a manufacturer of cell-culture media, reagents, and medical devices for researchers and clinicians, has established a bioprocessing innovation and collaboration center in Suzhou, China.

The center will incorporate advanced cell-culture automation and analysis into process and media development to enable accurate evaluation and identification of upstream cell-culture processes. Construction has begun and is planned for completion by March 2022.

The new center in Suzhou will join the network of optimization services offered from Fujifilm Irvine Scientific’s facilities in the US and Japan.

Source: Fujifilm Irvine Scientific

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Formulation Development/Drug-Product Manufacturing 

CordenPharma To Invest in Oral Solid Drug Products, Lipids Production
CordenPharma has announced plans to invest EUR 9.7 million ($11 million) into a new clinical trial development (CTD) facility for the manufacturing of oral solid-dosage drug products at its Plankstadt facility near Heidelberg, Germany. The company is also investing in an expansion of its specialty lipids production at its Chenôve facility near Dijon, France.

The new facility will manufacture GMP batches up to 50 kg and be equipped with key oral solid dosage manufacturing capabilities, including blending, granulation (high shear, fluid bed, roller compaction), compression, and coating. Investments in high-potency filling equipment (powders, pellets, mini-tablets) into capsules, hot-melt extrusion, and the ability to operate with organic solvents are also being added. Work recently started on the new facility in the fourth quarter of 2021, with a targeted completion date in the third quarter of 2022. The facility will join three other CTD facilities.

Separately, the company is investing to expand its lipids production using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) technology for compound separation, which is a process for purifying lipids and pharmaceutical drug substances. Commercial lipid quantities using the new technology will be produced at the Chenôve facility as early as the first half of 2022.

Source: CordenPharma (oral solid dosage drug products) and CordenPharma (lipids production)

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Adare Pharma Acquires Frontida BioPharm
Adare Pharma Solutions, a CDMO and provider of pharmaceutical technologies, has acquired Frontida BioPharm, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-headquartered CDMO focused on oral drug formulations.

The acquisition reinforces Adare’s strategy in drug delivery from product development through commercial-scale manufacturing and packaging. The combined company will offer an expanded suite of solutions for complex oral formulations, such as taste masking, controlled release, high-potency formulation manufacturing, and bioavailability enhancement. The addition of Frontida brings Adare’s manufacturing footprint to seven sites globally.

Source: Adare Pharma Solutions

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Packaging

Jones Healthcare Group Expands Medication Adherence Packaging
Jones Healthcare Group, a provider of advanced packaging and medication-dispensing product and services, is expanding its Qube and FlexRx medication adherence product lines with sustainable packaging for pharmacies.

Jones’ new adherence products use Bio-PET, a medically approved bioplastic made from renewable resources and recyclable.  

The Qube Pro, FlexRx One and FlexRx Reseal are compatible with a range of automated robots that fill blister packs with medications, as well as semi-automated filling technologies from Synergy Medical, McKesson Canada, Global Factories, and others Pharmacies can begin using the Qube Pro, FlexRx One and FlexRx Reseal in the first quarter of 2022.

Source: Jones Healthcare Group

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General

Avantor, Agilent Technologies in Distribution Pact
Avantor, a supplier of ultra-high-purity materials for the life sciences and advanced technology industries, has entered into an agreement to distribute Agilent Technologies products in the US and Canada.

The agreement adds Agilent Technologies’ chromatography consumables, chemical standards, and spectroscopic supplies to Avantor’s portfolio. The offering includes liquid chromatography columns for small- and large-molecule separations, gas chromatography, size-exclusion ranges, spectroscopic supplies as well as sample preparation products, such as vials, chemical standards, and syringes.

Source: Avantor