SAFC provides company update at CPhI Expo
in Madrid to announce a series of updates concerning company
activity. The custom manufacturing group is currently undergoing
construction of a new US facility aimed at manufacturing API's. The
facility should be complete in early 2006.
The show was an opportunity to talk about the recent deal SAFC Biosciences and Chromos Molecular Systems have entered into to jointly market and offer Chromos' proprietary ACE System for cell line engineering for protein production applications.
The deal showcases Chromos' ACE System, a vehicle for transferring genes into cells for the subsequent expression of proteins. "The ACE System demonstrates improvement in cell engineering technology and gene expression," said Bruce Lehr, SAFC Biosciences.
SAFC said that the agreement with Chromos would provide customers with access to the ACE System technology. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
SAFC has also added Proligo Reagents' product offering, integrating and rebranding the DNA and RNA reagents business in Hamburg, Germany, within the SAFC Specialities business unit.
Acquired from Degussa in April this year as part of the Proligo Group purchase, the business will expand SAFC Specialties product offering to include these reagents for superior oligonucleotide synthesis.
On a strategic level, the acquisition makes good business sense. The cost of shipping solvents from Hamburg to the US would have been prohibitive but with parent Sigma-Aldrich's production capabilities and supply chain, SAFC is now in a position to supply all the reagents needed for oligonucleotide synthesis in the US.
SAFC also reported that OncoSense, the Medical Marketing International (MMI) Group's wholly owned cancer therapy subsidiary, has appointed SAFC Pharma to manufacture cGMP batches of the lead ruthenium cancer therapy compounds.
Mark Burton, Technical Manager, MMI, said: "Under the terms of the agreement, OncoSense will retain ownership of all existing and any new intellectual property that arises out of the manufacturing process.
The manufacturing of the ruthenium compounds will be in the USA, the largest potential market, at SAFC's FDA approved Madison facility.
The agreement closely follows on from the £10 million (€8.6 million) institutional placing, which provides MMI with funds to accelerate its manufacturing and clinical trials programmes including those for ruthenium
