NEWS
Quotient integrates drug substance into platform
Quotient Sciences , a UKbased firm that describes itself as a “ drug development and manufacturing accelerator ”, has integrated drug substance into its flagship Translational Pharmaceutics platform , uniting it with drug product and clinical testing activities within one organisation under a single project manager This follows a year after the acquisition of the former Arcinova site at Alnwick . The company said that Translational Pharmaceutics “ provides a more streamlined approach from candidate selection through to commercialisation ”, enabling users to adjust formulations and dosing in real time . Now in its 15th year , Translational Pharmaceutics was developed in consultation with the MHRA and FDA . It uses a rapid ‘ make-test ’ cycle , in which drug products are manufactured , released and dosed in a clinical study in days rather than months . It has been used on about 500 drug developments programmes to date . According to a study by the Tufts Center of the Study of Drug Development , the programme has saved $ 200 million in drug development costs per approved drug . “ This approach is proven to shave 12 months off timelines and , by adding drug substance synthesis , the timeline from candidate selection to clinic can be further accelerated by two to four months ,” said Quotient CEO Mark Egerton . Quotient has also recently signed a global licensing agreement , permitting TRx Biosciences to use Translational Pharmaceutics in the formulation development and preparation of clinical trials for Oxilio ’ s OXL001 . This follows an agreement to use the platform in developing OXL001 that was signed in October 2021 . Oxilio is a drug development company focused on repurposing and commercialising existing drugs to address unmet needs in cancer therapies . TRx itself has developed technology for targeted oral drug delivery to specific organs , cells and tissues in cancer treatment , among various other major diseases . Oxilio also has an ongoing service contract with Quotient to support the formulation development of NXP001 , a new form of aprepitant , which it has licensed globally to fibrosis and cancer drug development company Nuformix . The two firms are seeking to identify and evaluate a co-crystal formulation to deliver optimal bioavailability for the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting . Quotient has already worked with the co-crystal , and has developed a capsule and a powder for oral suspension formulation , evaluating its performance in a relative bioavailability study versus a branded aprepitant . It will now prepare CMC batches and stability data for Oxilio to support a clinical trial application for the new formulation .
Baker Hughes in Saudi JV
Oilfield chemicals player Baker Hughes and Dussur , which is co-owned by Sabic and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund , have signed an agreement to form a joint venture company to make oilfield and industrial chemicals in Saudi Arabia . The 51-49 venture includes Baker Hughes ’ existing chemical blend plant in Dammam and manufacturing facility in Jubail . The latter will supply the Saudi market while expanding localisation opportunities . The deal is expected to close in Q3 . The announcement came barely a week after Baker Hughes announced that it would be acquiring Altus Intervention , a Norwegian-based supplier of well intervention services , and downhole oil and gas technology . The company said that this expands its portfolio by enhancing life-of-well capabilities as operators look to improve efficiencies from mature fields . The deal should close in 2H . Also active in the Saudi market is Halliburton , which has celebrated the opening of the Halliburton Chemical Reaction Plant at the PlasChem Park in Jubail . This is claimed to be “ the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia to manufacture a broad range of chemicals for the entire oil and gas value chain as well as many other industries ”. As well as manufacturing , the investment will enable Halliburton to expand research and applications into speciality chemicals for oilfield stimulation and production . Other sectors that it will potentially serve include industrial water and process treatment , plus contract manufacturing and tolling in agriculture , mining , personal care and other sectors .
16 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981