Cook bolsters biologics capacity
Cook Pharmica (Bloomington, IN), the biopharmaceutical contract-manufacturing division of Cook Medical, will invest $80 million
in an 80,000-ft2 expansion for parenteral formulation and fill–finish capacity. The expansion is scheduled to come on line in early 2010.
The company also plans to open a new office and warehouse this year in Shanghai, China, for its customers in Asia.
Mid-sized players expand
Earlier this year AMRI (Albany, NY) opened its first in vitro biology laboratory in Singapore and completed a 10,000-ft2 laboratory expansion for medicinal-chemistry discovery services, more than doubling the capacity of its Science Park III
facility. The in vitro biology group will test compounds synthesized by AMRI's Singapore-based medicinal-chemistry teams to provide potency data
using cell-based or biochemical assays. AMRI anticipates hiring roughly 70 additional chemists and biologists to staff the
Singapore facility during the next three years.
These moves complement AMRI's recent activity in Asia. In 2007, the company acquired the assets of Ariane Orgachem in Aurangabad
and Ferico Laboratories in Navi Mumbai, India, giving the company two API and intermediates facilities in the country. AMRI
also acquired additional land for expansion and plans to invest approximately $15 million to increase and upgrade manufacturing
capabilities during the next several years.
Cambridge Major Laboratories (Germantown, WI) is expanding its large-scale API manufacturing with a new 120,000-ft2 manufacturing facility. The facility is designed for multiple GMP manufacturing suites capable of producing multiton quantities
of APIs. The facility will initially feature six manufacturing suites with reactors as large as 2000 gallons. The facility
will have complete isolation and containment, several vessels for hydrogenation and cryogenic reactions, and the potential
to accommodate additional manufacturing suites to the 4000-gallon scale. Completion is scheduled for August 2009.
Carbogen Amcis's (Bubendorf, Switzerland) Indian subsidiary, Carbogen Amcis India, plans to open a high-potency facility in
Bavla, India. The facility will be located on the Bavla site of its parent company, Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals
(Ahmedabad, India). The facility's design and operation is modeled after Carbogen Amcis high-potency operations at its Bubendorf,
facilities. The facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2009.
Carbogen Amcis is part of Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals. Dishman acquired Carbogen Amcis in 2006 as part of a broader
strategy to increase its global presence by acquiring Western fine-chemicals and pharmaceutical assets. In 2007, Dishman acquired
Solvay Pharmaceuticals's (Brussels) fine-chemicals and vitamin businesses for an undisclosed sum. The deal included Solvay's
Veenendal, The Netherlands, facilities, as well as the intellectual property rights for fine chemicals, vitamin D, and vitamin
D analogues. In 2006, Dishman acquired I03S, a company specializing in ozone chemistry. In 2005, it acquired the UK-based
contract research company Synprotec.
Earlier this year, Hovione (Loures, Portugal) purchased a 75% stake in China's Hisyn Pharmaceutical. The acquisition includes
development laboratories in Shanghai and a 22,000-m2 API plant. Hovione's relationship with Hisyn started with the supply of intermediates, but this facility will now produce
Hovione's two largest volume products, according to Hovione.
|
