Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

Small Substances with Big Effects

The market for APIs is expanding significantly. Experts predict annual growth rates between 4.5 and 7.6 percent by 2029. There are plenty of good reasons for this: Chronic diseases are on the rise - and with them the need for medicines and active ingredients. In addition, the economic upswing in several emerging countries means that more people can afford novel medicines. APIs are also benefiting from the trend toward personalized medicine and the growing understanding of diseases. Meanwhile, API developers and manufacturers are working on increasingly sophisticated methods to better handle these delicate substances.

Opportunities and Limits of Sustainability

The Pharmaceutical industry must prioritize sustainability. Jürgen Roos, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Siegfried, explains opportunities and limits of sustainability.

Special Issue: Swiss CDMO Siegfried Celebrates 150th Anniversary

There are only a few chemical and pharmaceutical companies that look back at a history of 150 years. Certainly, many companies claim such a long legacy, but if you only count those that have been operating and thriving under the same name for a century and a half, the number boils down significantly.

Olon Expands API Production

Olon, an Italian CDMO and API producer, is investing a total of €100 million in 2023 to increase production capacity, in particular at its site in Mulazzano, Lodi province.

Wacker Buys All of ADL BioPharma from Private Equity

German chemical group Wacker has acquired 100% of ADL Biopharma from private equity investor Kartesia for a price said to exceed €100 million. It now owns the entire 150,000 m2 production site in the northern Spanish city of Léon with fermentation capacity of just under 3,000 cbm (gross volume).

IMCD Seals Two Acquisitions and a Distribution Deal

Rotterdam-based speciality chemicals distributor IMCD kicked off the month of May agreeing a major distribution partnership and two outright acquisitions.

Glenmark Putting Chunk of API Offshoot up for Sale?

India-headquartered drugmaker Glenmark is said to be taking another look at selling a majority stake in its business with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which is wrapped up in subsidiary Glenmark Life Sciences.

Containment Solutions for HPAPI Manufacturing

Clear incentive for drug manufacturers to equip their production facilities with the capacity to process highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs). HPAPIs now account for 25% of all drugs produced globally, with some analysts projecting that it will reach a value of $40 billion by 2027.

US Uncovers Covid-related Bogus API-making Deals

Under US president Joe Biden, the Department of Justice has been moving energetically of late to uncover and prosecute offenses that might otherwise have been swept under heavy rugs, including Covid-related API manufacturing contracts won under unclear circumstances.

Veranova Completes API Expansion at Edinburgh

Macfarlan Smith, a UK-based unit of US API maker Veranova, formerly known as Johnson Matthey Health, has completed a $10 million expansion of its mid-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing capabilities in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Curiosity, Disillusionment, Persistence, Success

Given the challenges the pharmaceutical industry is facing – secure material supply, reduce operation cost and increase flexibility, enhance sustainability and safety, innovate and reduce time-to-market – the sector is poised for a breakthrough of flow chemistry.

Novo Nordisk Expands API Capacity

Danish pharma Novo Nordisk has announced plans to invest 5.4 billion Danish kroner to expand its existing facilities in Bagsværd.

Cambrex Takes Snapdragon Chemistry

US CDMO Cambrex has agreed to buy Snapdragon Chemistry, a compatriot company specializing in developing continuous flow and batch processes for APIs. Snapdragon is based in Waltham, Massachusetts, where it employs 74 people.

Sandoz Invests in Extra European Antibiotic Capacity

Sandoz, the generics arm of Swiss drugmaker Novartis, has announced plans to spend an additional €50 million on raising European manufacturing capacity for finished dosage forms of amoxicillin and other key penicillin products.

Bachem Innovates its Manufacturing Capabilities

Interest in oligonucleotide therapeutics has grown, as has the market demand, since their emergence as a new drug modality two decades ago.

Ensuring API Supply Capacities for Europe and Beyond

Interview with Karl Rotthier, CEO of the Sanofi spin-off EuroAPI.

Olon Expands Indian API Capabilities

Italian API producer Olon has announced plans to install a new high-containment production line at its site in Mahad, India.

Novasep‐PharmaZell Invests €7.3 Million in APIs

Financed in part by the French government’s France Relance plan, Novasep‐PharmaZell is investing €7.3 million in production of active pharmaceuticals (APIs) at its Mourenx, France, site.

WuXi Expands API Competence in Asia

WuXi AppTec and its subsidiary Wuxi STA have announced several investments in manufacturing and research in Asia, with the Changzou campus in China’s Jiangsu Province a focal point.

Expansion at SK Biotek API Plant to Cost $35 Miilion

South Korean CDMO SK Pharmteco (SKTP) said it will spend $35 million on the initial phase of a planned expansion at the Dublin, Ireland, API site the conglomerate acquired from Bristol Myers Squibb in 2017. Prior to that, SK had been a BMS supplier for around a decade.

Olon Establishes Central R&D Hub near Milan

Major API supplier Olon is establishing a €10 million central R&D hub at its headquarters site in Roadano, near Milan. The Italian company said the facility paves the way for a further major expansion and diversification of its expertise in active pharmaceutical ingredients supplied to the CDMO and generics markets.

Nanoparticle Engineering

The value in applying AI in Pharma is in making new and better drugs available faster than would be possible otherwise. By augmenting sparse-data AI with expert knowledge and applying it to the latest nanoparticle engineering techniques, opportunities are created to eliminate the risk associated with new techniques and give therapeutics a second chance to reach the patients who need them.

Centrient Boosts Statins API Capacity

Centrient Pharmaceuticals has started its expanded production of statins at its manufacturing plant for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Toansa, India. With the start-up of its second unit at the site, the Dutch company said it has doubled capacity for Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin, meeting the increased demand for its sustainably produced portfolio.

Regis Technologies Completes Lab Expansion

US-based CDMO Regis Technologies has completed a major expansion of its laboratory facilities for development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) at its site in Morton Grove, Illinois. The project, kicked off two years ago, doubles the company’s capacity to take on new development projects.

Challenges Facing Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Sean Diver, president of DCAT speaks about the pharmaceutical industry’s role during the Covid-19 pandemic, trends in drug manufacturing, and key issues for the EU pharmaceutical industry.

Facing Strong Headwinds

So far, the pharmaceutical industry — including CMOs/CDMOs — has responded well to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Understanding the Requirements of Safe HPAPI Manufacturing

The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly focused on the development of specialized drug products with new treatment modalities, including previously undruggable targets for oncology and other areas.

The Impact of Covid-19 on the Pharmaceutical Industry

Andrew Badrot, CEO of C2 Pharma and a close observer of pharma industry trends, analyzes the current situation and how this pandemic may kick of changes in the pharma market.

The Risk of Dependency in Pharma Supply Chains

Flow Chemistry - A Mature Technology still on the Rise

The change in many chemical companies’ product portfolio away from commodities to customer-specific specialties is one of the current challenges facing the process industry.

Chemical Process Research and Development

Nanoforming

In 2019, the pharmaceutical industry invested $182 billion in drug development, but only 48 drugs were approved for use.

Flow Chemistry: A Mature Technology still on the Rise

The change in many chemical companies’ product portfolio away from commodities to customer-specific specialties is one of the current challenges facing the process industry.

Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Economic Impact and Challenges of Continuous Pharma Processes