7
www.epmmagazine.com
Biopharma partner launches integrated package for mammalian cell bank manufacture
B
iopharmaceutical partner, Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) has launched a range of new services for mammalian cell bank manufacture. The services are being offered by SSB’s subsidiary, Sartorius Stedim BioOutsource, a contract testing organisation (CTO) with offices in the UK and US.
overtaken Germany as that Switzerland has across Europe – and delivery is accelerating innovation in drug highlights that Innovation Index from the Pharmapack Provisional findings shows. market, new research innovative drug delivery as Europe’s most overtaken Germany witzerland has
S
executives – notably according to industry ‘innovation potential’ Spain) saw increases in UK, France, Italy and (Switzerland, Germany, European markets states. All six major market, the research solutions entering the devices and packaging being driven by new Innovation is largely drug delivery market. Europe’s most innovative
SSB will now offer the manufacture of good manufacturing practice (GMP) master and working cell banks (MCB/WCB) for mammalian suspension cells.
in terms of FDA a remarkable few years Markets, said: “It’s been director at Informa Silvia Forroova, brand overall gains. showing the biggest and Switzerland (10%) United Kingdom (5%) year-on-year, with the has increased by 4% innovation potential leader. On average, States as the world closing on the United
ovative drug delivery market and overtakes Germany as
as most are now seeing is that this pipeline of new drugs has helped drive increased innovation in packaging and drug delivery devices. In fact, we are witnessing this trend first-hand at Pharmapack with many smaller and nimble companies bringing forward novel delivery systems and advanced packaging solutions, and we now have the data to back it up.”
The facility will use selected equipment that enables closedsystem manufacturing of GMP-compliant cell banks, from vial thaw to automated filling. More so, the entire manufacturing service is being offered as a fully qualified broth technology platform. To help ensure the best possible timelines, SSB cell bank manufacturing is offered in a package along with cell bank characterisation services, the combination of which allows clients to work with SSB as a singlesource provider from vial thaw to released cell
banks. During a manufacturing run, up to 500 cell bank vials will be produced, followed by full characterisation, genetic stability assessment in compliance with EU and FDA guidelines, and release by the respective qualified person. The cell bank vials produced are then shipped to the client or transferred to a long-term storage facility. With all three services combined, SSB is aiming to support clients as a total solutions provider from DNA to released GMP cell bank within a 10-month timeline. Lucia Rieger, product manager for protein expression at SSB said: “We’re really proud that we now offer even more comprehensive services that can be easily combined with those for CHO cell line development and biosafety. As a result, we provide our clients with an integrated package that saves considerable time and minimises risks. Furthermore, they will benefit from client-focused customer service with a single point of contact throughout their entire development and manufacturing projects.”
PHARMA RECRUITMENT FIRM SEES BIG GROWTH IN PLACEMENTS, DESPITE BREXIT
A
life sciences recruitment firm has seen its interim contracts rise by 250% signalling a demand for roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Concilium Search has now doubled the size of its life sciences recruitment contract team to deal with the influx of applications. The Concilium Search figures were based on the firm experiencing an increase of 250% in life sciences recruitment in the first six months of this year compared to 2018. The international firm has said that despite the uncertainty of Brexit, its business has not experienced any disruption.
A ‘no deal’ Brexit is expected to result in medical shortages with pharmaceutical supplies suffering from extended delays, according to leaked government documents procured by The Sunday Times. Martin Badoo, head of Life Sciences Contracts at Concilium Search, said: “There is naturally some uncertainty within the industry due to Brexit, but we are still placing candidates, and experiencing growth in terms of our life sciences client base. We believe people will still want to work in the UK and UK candidates will still seek work contracts in Europe, even if we leave with a no-deal outcome.”