The Biden administration has announced plans to tackle the US’s dependency on imports for critical medicines, with a new strategy that will seek to drive the ‘reshoring’ of some manufacturing. This follows a multi-industry review of key supply chains, occasioned by an executive order in February.

W.R. Grace & Co., which has itself just agreed to be acquired by Standard Industries Holdings for approximately $7 billion, has announced two further transactions. It has completed the $570 million acquisition of Albemarle Fine Chemistry Services and the expansion of its manufacturing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia.

Cambrex has completed the upgrade of the kilo lab at its facility in Tallinn, Estonia, manufacture pharmaceutical intermediates to cGMP standards. The company said that this would “accelerate the progression and tech transfer of projects within the early clinical development phases”.

Speciality life science materials player Aceto has made two further acquisitions, both in the pharmaceutical field, in the form of Oregon-based Cascade Chemistry and Finar in India. Terms were not disclosed in either case.

These bring the total number of acquisitions the new-look firm has made to five in the past 15 months. “With each of our acquisitions, Aceto looks to add companies that enhance our business capabilities and support our growth strategy, while aligning with our core business values,” said CEO Gilles Cottier.

Alongside city and Commonwealth of Virginia officials, Ampac Fine Chemicals (AFC) has announced that it will invest over $25 million to expand the capabilities of its former Boehringer Ingelheim plant at Petersburg Industrial Park in Petersburg. The site, which Ampac acquired in 2016 and brought back into operation in 2019, was chosen over others in California and Texas

CDMOs Sterling Pharma Solutions and Novasep have both made announcements in the high potency arena in the past week. The former has signed a manufacturing deal with oncology specialist OncoTex, while the latter is expanding its main high potency API (HPAPI) site at Le Mans.

Lonza its to expand its two-year collaboration with Moderna to manufacture the drug substance for Moderna’ COVID-19 vaccine. This will lead to further expansion at its main site in Visp, Switzerland, as will another small molecule complex, which includes a dedicated line for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for an unnamed customer.