Company and People Notes: Codexis Opens Budapest Lab, Allos Names Bruce K. Bennett VP of Manufacturing, More

Company Notes

Wilmington, NC (Jan. 23)-AAIPharma’s sterile manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina, received approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to produce aseptic and lyophilized products. The MHRA approval allows the company to ship these products to countries in the European Union. A $1.5-million renovation was recently completed at the plant.

Redwood City, CA (Jan. 23)-Codexis, a biotechnology company and developer of clean manufacturing processes, announced the opening of Codexis Laboratories Hungary Kft (CLH) in Budapest. CLH, the second Codexis facility in Europe, will be a research center focused on fermentation strain development and process technology. Ronen Tchelet, PhD, vice president and general manager of CLH, will head the laboratory.

Changshu City, China (Jan. 29)-DuPont hopes to establish a broader fluoroproducts-manufacturing base in China with the opening of a fluoropolymer production plant in Changshu City. The plant will produce polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fine powder and dispersion for global customers, with a focus on Asia Pacific.

Tokyo (Jan. 29)-Eisai acquired MGI PHARMA for approximately $3.9 billion in a cash tender offer followed by a short-form merger of Eisai’s acquisition vehicle, Jaguar Acquisition, with MGI PHARMA. As a result, MGI PHARMA becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North America.

King of Prussia, PA (Jan. 28)-MDS Pharma Services, a provider of drug discovery and development solutions, established an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The new office is part of the company’s nearly two dozen other late-stage clinical trial management offices in 21 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.

Rockville, MD (Jan. 22)-The board of directors of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals is looking at options to further enhance shareholder value, including the consideration of a sale or merger of the company. Nabi has engaged Banc of America Securities as financial advisor for the process.

Wilmington, NC (Jan. 23)-PPD, a contract research organization, expanded its lab services into China through an exclusive agreement with Peking Union Lawke Biomedical Development (PUL). The agreement allows PPD to provide biopharmaceutical clients with its central lab services in China. “Chinese law makes it extremely difficult to export lab samples to other countries for testing,” said Agostino L. Fede, PhD, senior vice president of PPD and head of PPD’s global central labs, in a company press release. The equipment and software used in the Chinese lab is identical to platforms located at PPD’s central labs in Brussels, Belgium, and Highland Heights, Kentucky, and assays performed have been cross validated and calibrated to match instruments at these labs. Through these measures, PUL and PPD intend to deliver laboratory data that are directly combinable.   

Brussels (Jan. 23)-Fournier Laboratories Ireland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, was informed by Teva Pharmaceuticals that it has filed an abbreviated new drug application with a Paragraph IV certification, seeking the approval of a generic version of the cholesterol drug “TriCor” (fenofibrate) 145 mg NFE tablets in the United States. Fournier holds a number of US patents relating to TriCor that run through the next decade, and said in a press release that it is currently evaluating its options.

People Notes

Shenyang, China (Jan. 28)-3SBio, a biotechnology company, appointed Kevin Teo chief financial officer effective January 28, 2008. Teo will replace Clara Mak, who is resigning for personal reasons. Mak will stay on with the company until February 29, 2008.

Westminster, CO (Jan. 28)-Allos Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, appointed Bruce K. Bennett vice-president of manufacturing. He will lead manufacturing functions for the company and aid the development and potential commercialization of product candidates.

Chadds Ford, PA (Jan. 28)-Endo Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced the resignation of Peter A. Lankau, president and chief executive officer, effective March 1, 2008. Lankau, who is leaving to pursue other interests, also resigned from the board of directors. Nancy Wysenski, Endo’s chief operating officer, and Charles A. Rowland, Jr., Endo’s executive vice-president, chief financial officer, and treasurer, will assume leadership responsibilities on an interim basis.

Cambridge, MA (Jan. 28)-Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, appointed: Alan Colowick as chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors, Jean Nichols as president and chief operating officer, and Donald Hayden chairman of Gloucester’s board of directors. Hayden was formerly executive vice-president and president, Americas, at Bristol-Myers Squibb (New York).

Palo Alto, CA (Jan.29)-KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced two additions to its senior management team: Carol Stratford, PhD, JD, joins KaloBios as general counsel and head of intellectual property, and Charles Democko is the company’s new vice-president of regulatory affairs and quality.

Baltimore, MD (Jan. 28)-Lentigen appointed Tim Ravenscroft as chief executive officer. Ravenscroft most recently served as president of Bristol-Myers Squibb (New York) Medical Imaging and has nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare product development and commercial management.

Laval, Canada (Jan. 30)-Neurochemnamed Gary Schmid chief executive officer of the company’s new business for development and marketing nutraceuticals, effective Feb. 4, 2008.

Baltimore, MD (Jan. 28)-the board of directors of Profectus BioSciences, a biotechnology company, appointed Shawn Patrick O’Brien as the company’s president, chief executive officer, and director. The appointment comes as Profectus BioSciences enters the commercialization phase of operations.