California-based Durect has just entered into a long term manufacturing and supply agreement with Hospira for its post-surgical pain management drug, Posidur, which is currently in Phase II clinical trials and is expected to move into Phase III this year.
Under the deal, Hospira will manufacture both the clinical and commercial supplies of Posidur on a worldwide basis and the two firms have already begun manufacturing development activities.
"Hospira's capabilities, expertise and capacity in manufacturing parenteral products makes them an ideal partner for us," said James Brown, CEO of Durect.
Yesterday, New Jersey-based Laureate Pharma announced a new biomanufacturing contract with Trubion Pharmaceuticals for the preclinical and clinical supplies of its novel protein drug TRU-016 - a treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Subject to satisfactory completion of preclinical testing, Trubion said it expects to file an investigational new drug (IND) application for TRU-016 in the second half of 2007.
In other biomanufacturing developments this week, Canadian contract manufacturer QSV Biologics has signed its third manufacturing deal for January, this time with an undisclosed US biopharmaceutical company located in California.
From its facility in Edmonton, QSV will make a recombinant therapeutic protein to be used in the biotech's upcoming human clinical studies, after which point the firm will also be responsible for the technology transfer of the manufacturing process.
QSV recently secured two similar deals earlier this month with US-based Artielle ImmunoTherapeutics and Bermuda-based Celtic Pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, new player on the scene, Cook Pharmica has signed an agreement with its first client, Monsanto Company, to perform small-scale manufacturing of bacterial-produced proteins in support of safety assessments of biotechnology-based crops.
The manufacturing activities will be performed in Cook's new development laboratory in its facility at Bloomington, Indiana.