But in contrast to a regular manufacturing contract, Strathmann will absorb some of the financial risk in the project, in return for a potential royalty stream up to a ceiling of €10 million should the project win through to market.
The product is Active Biotech's TTS (Tumour Targeted Superantigens) CD3, for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is still in the very early-stages of development, having just started a Phase I dose-escalation study in the US and Norway. However, a first generation of the product, TTS CD2, has concluded Phase IIa studies in renal and pancreatic cancer with promising results.
TTS CD3 is a biotechnology product which is produced using recombinant E. coli based expression system. The production of the product will be transferred from the present manufacturer - Sweden's Biovitrum - to Strathmann, which will undertake further process development.
The new process will be established at the company's production facility in Dengelsberg, Germany, and will reach a 1000 litre-scale production. Strathmann specialises in the production of recombinant proteins and plasmid DNA.