Italian CDMO Olon has completed a large-scale high containment production line (OEL < 1 mg/m3) at its Rodano site at a cost of about €10 million. This is part of a planned €27 million it will roll out over 2022-3 that is fully allocated to the expansion of further internal expertise and capacity of high containment production. The new line, which is already operative, enables Olon to produce HPAPIs in batches of 30-250 kg.
Connecticut-based CDMO TriRx Pharmaceutical Services has finalized and closed on an agreement to buy Elanco Animal Health’s site in Speke, near Liverpool, UK. The two companies had agreed a two-facility sale and long-term supply agreement in 2021, covering this site and another in Shawnee, Kansas, which it took over last August.
Oaktree Capital Management is to invest $150 million in Czech firm Draslovka, “providing preferred equity capital to support the company’s growth strategy”. This follows multiple recent acquisitions by Draslovksa, a family-owned specialist in CN-based chemicals, including next generation fumigants and biocides.
Novasep has signed a letter of intent to supply the API for Pfizer’s Paxlovid, an oral protease inhibitor against COVID-19 that has shown a positive impact in clinical trials on hospitalisation among at-risk patients Technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities have begun already at the Mourenx facility in France, which is expected to be incorporated into the supply chain by Q3.
Kemira has started full-scale production of its newly developed polyacrylamide polymer based on biobased feedstock. The first commercial volumes are shipped to one of the wastewater treatment plants of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services for trials.
The polymer is water-soluble and offers the same technical specifications as its conventional equivalent, the company stated. As well as water treatment and other water-intensive sectors, it can be used in the energy industry, and potentially also in particularly demanding papermaking applications.
Aceto has consolidated and integrated its six manufacturing-related acquisitions of recent years to achieve what it called “a hybrid manufacturing/distribution model providing key benefits to its customers in high-growth end markets”. These include (bio)pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nutraceuticals, agriculture, cosmetics and speciality chemicals. The six are:
* A&C, a global GMP manufacturer of speciality excipients, buffers, process solutions and raw materials for biopharmaceuticals
At the cost of “a single-digit million euro amount”, Lanxess’s Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit is expanding capacity for the active ingredient Preventol CMK (chlorocresol) at Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany, by around 50%. This will be completed within Q1 the firm said.
