This week in pharma… 15th April

In this week’s news, Sanofi to spin-off API CDMO, BI plans to up contract manufacturing capacity and more

Sanofi set to spin off API unit as CDMO

Sanofi is poised to spin-off its API contract manufacturing unit as a stand-alone business next month, following through on a plan unveiled in 2020.

The French drug firm will list EUROAPI on Paris’ Euronext market on May 6, the company said last week.

Sanofi will hold around 30% of shares and voting interest in EUROAPI.  French government-linked investment group, EPIC Bpifrance, will purchase a 12% stake. 

EUROAPI said it “aims to reinforce its status as partner of choice for all pharmaceutical laboratories and biotech companies” and grow its independence from Sanofi.

The firm has a portfolio of more than 200 APIs and – according to Sanofi’s statements – generated €893m in revenue in 2021. It has six sites in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the UK.

BI commits billions to manufacturing expansion 

German drug maker and CDMO services provider, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), plans to invest €7 billion into production technologies and its supply network over the next five years.

BI recently spent €968 million on a new manufacturing facility in Vienna, Austria. The plant will be used to support both BI internal products and the company’s contract biomanufacturing clients.

Also in the news

Bioprocess Insider reported that VectorBuilder is constructing a $500 million gene delivery and research campus in Guangzhou, China to expand its capabilities and production capacity.

Global Business Reports spoke with Jeff Reingold, COO at Contract Pharmacal Corp (CPC), about the best way of coping with supply chain disruptions.

Biopharma-Reporter looked at a new microbiome-focused CDMO joint venture in South Korea and the US.

Inside Health Policy reported that HS officials and FDA’s vaccine advisers are concerned about the time and CDMO manufacturing capacity needed for new COVID-19 vaccines.

Bloomberg covered India’s new “pharma city” in Hyderabad. The city will be the base for contract API manufacturers and is part of the country’s effort to reduce its dependence on China.

Outsourcing-pharma looked at the impact that PharmaZell’s merger with Novasep will have on the contract drug and ingredient manufacturing scene.

And Bioprocess Insider published its latest “State of the Industry” look at the CDMO sector.

CDMO trends

Some developments of note in the contracting sector: 

Aenova has laid the foundation for a new building for highly potent active ingredients at its Regensburg site. The firm will invest €10m.

Tjoapack has announced the completion of its expansion plans following over €10m investment at its Etten-Leur facility in the Netherlands.

Wacker and Cordenpharma have joined Germany’s pandemic preparation effort and have agreed to make mRNA jabs as needed for the current and future outbreaks.

Cambrex has completed a $50 million expansion of its large-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing capabilities at its Charles City facility in Iowa.

Akron Bio has begun operations at a cGMP grade plasmid DNA manufacturing facility in Sarasota, Florida.

Injectable drug-focused contractor ApiJect Systems has opened a technology development centre in greater Orlando, Florida.