BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Dalton Pharma Services | February 17, 2023
On February 16, 2023, Dalton Pharma Services, a leading cGMP pharmaceutical firm, announced a significant strategic expansion of its sterile filling and pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities. The capital expansion plan includes a brand-new, state-of-the-art, and fully automated cGMP sterile filling line that can fill syringes, vials and cartridges under isolator technology. The sterile fill line is integrated with a new cGMP lyophilizer to provide customers with complete sterile finished dosage form manufacturing capabilities.
In compliance with cGMP aseptic filling regulations, the newly launched sterile filling line supports small-scale commercial production to cater to the global market. Additionally, the capital expansion plan comprises further cGMP non-sterile powder filling capacity, enhanced multi-kilogram API manufacturing capabilities, and a better infrastructure for handling and storing organic solvents.
The company's capital expansion plan supports the goal of establishing it as a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). As part of the Seikagaku Group, Dalton's long-term strategy is to provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers with high-quality integrated drug discovery, development, and manufacturing services through its North American facility.
Dalton Pharma Services CEO Peter Pekos commented, "This major investment in the expansion of our sterile manufacturing capabilities enables us to meet the needs of our customers as their critical products advance to commercialization." He added, "It also represents a leap forward in both scale and technology for us, placing Dalton at the leading edge of sterile manufacturing capabilities."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Dalton Pharma Services
Founded in 1986, Dalton is a leading contract pharmaceutical manufacturer that offers integrated chemistry, development, and manufacturing services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients worldwide. The company operates from a 42,000 sq. ft. facility where they provide cGMP manufacturing of APIs, sterile injectables, finished drug products, and solid oral dosage forms. It has the capability to produce APIs in gram-to-kilogram quantities, including sterile APIs, and supports clients at any stage of the regulatory process. Dalton's development services include analytical method development, formulation, and polymorphism screening, among others. Additionally, the company offers over 2,500 reference standards, building blocks, metabolites, and impurities via its Dalton Research Molecules business to support the industry's pharmaceutical research programs.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Innate Pharma | January 17, 2023
On January 16, 2023, Innate Pharma SA announced the publication of preclinical findings demonstrating the control of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells by a trifunctional NKp46-CD16a-NK cell engager (NKCE) targeting CD123 in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology. Innate and Sanofi conducted the experiments, which were published in Nature Biotechnology on January 12, 2023.
This study demonstrates that CD64 expression on AML blasts imparts resistance to anti-CD123 antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) and that redirecting NK cells against cancer targets by binding to CD16a and NKp46 circumvents this resistance. Moreover, through their binding to NKp46, CD123-NKCE primarily target NK cells and have substantial antitumor activity against primary AML blasts; they stimulate NK cell activation and cytokine secretion exclusively in AML cells' presence.
In vivo, its antitumor activity observed in a mouse tumor model surpasses that of the anti-CD123 antibody used as the comparator. Furthermore, in vitro in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in vivo in nonhuman primates, the efficacy of CD123-NKCE was associated with the induction of low pro-inflammatory cytokine release and the absence of toxicity.
These results support CD123-NKCE clinical development. IPH6101/SAR'579 (SAR443579), the first NKp46/CD16-based CD123-targeted ANKETTM NK cell engager, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial by Sanofi in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML), B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS).
About Innate Pharma
Headquartered in Marseille (France), Innate Pharma SA is a global, clinical-stage oncology-focused biotech firm dedicated to enhancing patient treatment and clinical outcomes using therapeutic antibodies that employ the immune system to combat cancer. Its extensive antibody pipeline has numerous potentially first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates for cancers with a high unmet medical need. In addition, Innate has been a pioneer in the study of natural killer cell (NK cell) biology and developed its expertise in tumor antigens, tumor microenvironment, and antibody engineering. This innovative strategy has resulted in a varied proprietary portfolio and substantial alliances with biopharmaceutical industry leaders, including Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, and a multi-product collaboration with AstraZeneca.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Tonix Pharmaceuticals | February 14, 2023
On February 13, 2023, Tonix Pharmaceuticals, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm, announced that it has exercised an option to acquire an exclusive license from Columbia University to develop a portfolio of fully human (TNX-3600) and murine (TNX-4100) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the prophylaxis or treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2. Tonix Pharmaceuticals and Columbia University announced a research collaboration and option agreement in 2020, which resulted in the development of the licensed mAbs.
Although the FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to five mAb products containing seven distinct mAbs for either prophylaxis or treatment of COVID-19, none stayed available or functional since January 26, 2023, when the FDA stated that the last remaining mAb, Evusheld®, is no longer authorized. Previously, either FDA or the National Institutes of Health COVID Treatment Guidelines Panel had revoked recommendations or clearances for the other mAbs.
Until recently, the earlier EUA-approved products were obtained from the blood of humanized mice or COVID-convalescent patients. Columbia University's TNX-3600 fully human mAbs were generated utilizing a proprietary system that involved a human hybridoma fusion partner.
The firm feels that murine monoclonal antibodies, such as TNX-4100, have the capacity to generate antibodies with a high affinity that detect distinct epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This is due to the fact that mice have a different antibodies repertoire than humans, and the technology for making antibodies optimizes the selection of relevant B cells via harvesting approach, immunization timing and screening platform.
About Tonix Pharmaceuticals
Founded in 2007, Tonix Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm committed to finding, acquiring, licensing, and developing therapies for the treatment and prevention of diseases and the alleviation of human suffering. Its pipeline is focused on rare diseases, immunology, infectious diseases, and central nervous system (CNS) product candidates. The company's immunology portfolio consists of biologics for the treatment of organ transplant rejection, cancer and autoimmunity. At the same time, its infectious disease portfolio includes next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and vaccinations against smallpox and monkeypox.
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