The firm has used UK-based Angel Biotech since 2003 to conduct work on its behalf from its process development and manufacturing facility in Cramlington in the North of England.
Millipore's Bioprocess division enables biopharma companies to optimise their manufacturing productivity, ensure the quality of drugs, and scale up the production of difficult-to-manufacture biologics.
Angel's exact involvement in this remains a mystery, as all terms of the deal between the two firms remain undisclosed, although Angel's main activity at its Cramlington facilities is providing materials for early stage drug development and pre-clinical and clinical studies as well as the manufacture of approved drugs or vaccines.
However, Millipore has indicated that the proximity of Angel's operations is part of its appeal to the US-based firm, whose Bioprocessing division has R&D and manufacturing facilities in Gloucestershire and Consett making chromatography columns and media.
"It is extremely beneficial for Millipore to be able to access [such] services locally in the North East of England," said Fred Mann, Technical Marketing Manager of Millipore.
In November Angel announced a new major development and GMP manufacturing deal with Danish biotech company CellCure.
Although specific figures were not forthcoming, it was suggested to In-PharmaTechnologist.com at the time that the deal is on a similar scale to Angel's current contract with Therapeutic Proteins Inc (TPI) which was announced last year and valued at approximately £8m (€12m).
Under this deal Angel Biotechnology will to manufacture and provide GMP materials for a Phase II clinical trial using (allogeneic) T-cell based immuno-therapy. Following successful Phase I trials completed in February 2004, Angel will provide CellCure with cells to be further evaluated in the treatment of patients diagnosed with metastatic malignant melanoma.