Contract manufacturing news in brief

Akorn, Dompé, Angel Biotech and Flamingo Pharmaceuticals have all made new contract manufacturing announcements this past week.

Akorn today announced the signing of a development and supply agreement with Hyaluron Contract Manufacturing for two of its investigational injectable suspension products, expected to launch in 2010.

One of them is a sustained release drug which will be available in both prefilled syringe and vial configurations. The second is indicated as an anti-inflammatory and will be available in multiple packaging configurations, said the firm.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dompé, Angel Biotech, have all made new contract manufacturing announcements of late.

Canada's Protox Therapeutics has activated a contract with Italy's Dompé for both the clinical manufacture and commercial supply of its lead product candidate, PRX321, for the treatment of primary brain cancer, specifically malignant astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

The compound has already completed Phase IIa studies and Protox said it is now preparing to conduct a pre-pivotal clinical trial.

PRX321 is a novel targeted protein in which a cytokine, interleukin-4 (IL-4), is linked to a Pseudomonas exotoxin, a potent substance that can destroy cancer cells. The IL-4 binds to IL-4 receptors on the cancer cell, which it subsequently enters, at which point the endotoxin causes cell death by inhibiting protein synthesis.

Angel Biotech has recently been awarded an EU-funded contract for its facility in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Under the arrangement it will fulfil the role of manufacturing partner to the OsteoCord Consortium, run by York University, which is undertaking stem cell research to develop therapies for treating damaged skeletal tissue.

This latest contract comes just a few weeks after the UK-based biomanufacturer announced its plans to sell its beleaguered facility in Cramlington, UK and to concentrate production at its Edinburgh plant, which is specialised in growing mammalian cells in culture, particularly stem cells.

Angel will be manufacturing a chemical messenger for the consortium, called guanosine monophosphate (GMP), however, the contract actually has no monetary value.

Instead, the company hopes it will raise its profile in the scientific arena and also attract future funding.

Meanwhile, Indian firm Flamingo Pharmaceuticals has inked a deal with Teva Group to manufacture zolpidem tartrate tablets, an insomnia treatment, for the Netherlands market.

Flamingo will initially make 10m 10mg tablets, to be delivered by October this year. The firm is also manufacturing Verapamil, Zopiclone, Simvastatin, Dipyridamol and Tramadol for Teva.