Peptides giant Bachem has agreed to acquire an undeveloped site covering 155,000 m2 in Sisslerfeld, north-western Switzerland, from DSM in order to manage growing demand. It has already acquired the first plot and others will follow in time. Terms are not being disclosed.
Italian CDMO and API supplier Olon has presented a two-year, €30 million plan to expand its Settimo Torinese Biotech Hub near Turin. This focuses on microbial fermentation and is claimed to have “some of the most extensive know-how” on the subject in Europe”. The plan focuses on therapeutic peptides based on Olon’s expertise in the development of rDNA peptides and proteins.
WuXi AppTec has announced a plan to build a new R&D and manufacturing site in Singapore at a cost of up to $1.4 billion. It will be created in stages over the next ten years, depending on the company’s business needs.
The company added that the site will serve “a critical role in its global network across Asia, Europe and North America”. It ill include “laboratories and facilities that provide a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services” for the pharmaceutical industry.
According to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) intends to sell CordenPharma. A valuation of around €3 billion has been cited. ICIG has, the paper said, has already had meetings with potential buyers and will send out information packs to them by the end January. Neither ICIG nor CordenPharma has made any comment.
CDMO CordenPharma is planning to invest heavily in all its platforms in terms of both capacities and capabilities, according to Dr Stephen Houldsworth, global head of platform management and marketing, who spoke with SCM at CPhI Worldwide in Milan.
Bachem, the world’s largest peptides manufacturer, has announced some results of two studies it carried out with Novo Nordisk, seeking to make solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) greener.
SPPS requires large volumes of solvents and the current gold standards, because of their excellent solubilisation and stability properties for reagents and resin swelling capabilities, are N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dichloromethane and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. All now face restrictions under REACH because of their hazardous nature.
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”.
