CordenPharma further expands peptides

CordenPharma is to expand non-GMP solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) capacity at its centre of excellence for peptide process development and non-GMP manufacturing at Frankfurt, Germany. This should be complete in Q3 2021. The amount invested has not been disclosed.

The investment will increase lab space by 25% and add a dedicated explosionproof area. The latter will be supported by a tank farm, which, the company said, “will allow for the introduction of regular solvents, as well as compatibility with our green peptide manufacturing”.

“With the addition of these fully automated larger lines in Frankfurt, assembly, capacity and flexibility will be significantly increased,” said Dr Matthieu Giraud, global director of CordenPharma’s Peptides, Lipids & Carbohydrates platform. “Special efforts will be focused on mirroring the new equipment design with that of current GMP in order to ensure smooth technical transfer when it comes to later-stage clinical support.”

This follows on from the recent addition of a 3,000-litre SPPS vessel at CordenPharma’s GMP API facility in Boulder, Colorado. This site, which was formerly owned by Roche, already has a 10,000-litres SPPS vessel and a 100 cm high-pressure reverse phase purification column, and is claimed to be the largest capacity of any peptide API facility.

The investment was made in response to what the company called “a large spike in the demand for peptide APIs, and to continue an overall growth strategy”. The vessel will enable it to manufacture a complex long peptide with a 400 kg output per single batch, according to Giraud.