This week in pharma… 18th November

18th November, 2022

In this week’s news: Repligen extended its long-term supply agreement with Purolite, Tjoapack invested in a new high-speed packaging line for prefilled syringes and vials, CordenPharma’s Dr. Michael Quirmbach discusses his work and what CPHI Frankfurt meant to the team, and more.

Repligen extended its long-term supply agreement with Purolite for the development and manufacturing of affinity ligands focused on monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments. 

“We are delighted with the progress we have made working with Purolite and now Ecolab to establish the NGL family of Protein A ligands in the marketplace,” Tony J. Hunt, president and CEO of Repligen. 

Global pharmaceutical contract packaging organization (CPO), Tjoapack has invested in a new high-speed packaging line for prefilled syringes and vials at its production facilities in both Europe and the US. 

In addition to increasing its production capacity, Tjoapack has also invested in its warehousing and cold chain capabilities to meet increased customer demand for its added-value logistics services.

Dr. Michael Quirmbach, President & CEO of CordenPharma, discusses his work and what CPHI Frankfurt meant to the team.

At the top of our agenda is ESG. We started working a couple of years ago with companies such as Ecovadis, and our new shareholder Astorg – a private equity company with a big emphasis on ESG – so of course they are expecting that level from the companies in their portfolio. We are working to get all our facilities approved at the highest level of Ecovadis sustainability rating (gold).” 

Pharma quality regulation has evolved beyond routine CGMP compliance toward a more holistic, proactive approach. More information on quality management will provide a real-world basis for better applying regulatory resources; that is, applying less regulatory oversight in places where it is not justified based on the potential value it brings to patients and consumers.

At present, the global cleanroom market is estimated to be worth $5 Billion by 2028. By using services like cleanrooms on an on-demand basis companies can rapidly enter the manufacturing stage or fail fast and pivot accordingly.

Also in the news

Scientists discover that milk components are not just important for child development, they can have therapeutic effects too. Researchers now investigate milk-derived compounds for treating neurological conditions such as anxiety and depression. 

“We strongly hope that we can bring LCGA-17 as a new way to any person who experiences a lot of stress,” said Anton Malyshev, Co-founder of Lactocore.

CDMO trends

The Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic CDMO market measurement tools help in identifying drivers, restraints, weaknesses, market opportunities, and threats. The analysts used a top-down and bottom-up approach to evaluate the segments and provide a fair assessment of their effect on the market.

WuXi Vaccines, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has entered into an agreement with Harbour BioMed under which Harbour BioMed’s manufacturing facility in Suzhou will be transferred to WuXi Vaccines.

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes’ Radiopharmaceutical CDMO in Beloit, Wis. (artist rendering). Upon completion, NorthStar will be the first and only U.S. company housing commercial-scale, multi-radioisotope production and radiopharmaceutical development services on the same campus, enabling collaborating companies to realize logistical, regulatory, and cost benefits. 

Samsung Biologics has added to its industry-leading capacity with the commencement of partial operations at its fourth manufacturing plant in Songdo, South Korea. The CDMO launched the facility just 23 months after breaking ground in November 2020, continuing its strategy of building good manufacturing practice (GMP) facilities at an unprecedented rate.