Piramal Introduces Proof of Concept Service for Next Wave of ADC Growth

Piramal Enterprises' Pharma Solutions division announced that it is looking to strengthen its position in contract commercialization of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) over the next five years. The CDMO has introduced a new “Proof of Concept” service, designed to bring the most promising targets into clinical development more quickly.

Piramal, now in its fifth year of production on the first-ever ADC (Adcetris) to be commercialized, has set a target of becoming a market leader in the development and manufacturing of ADCs over the next five years. This drive is based on Piramal’s focused investments at its current site in Grangemouth, United Kingdom and its recent acquisition of Coldstream, a specialized ADC fill/finish site, in Kentucky, US.

Piramal believes that the ADC market will accelerate during the next few years because of a steady increase in the number of potential drug targets entering into the clinical phase. The CDMO expects approximately eight drugs to move into commercial production by 2020 and suggests that despite the increase in development targets for ADCs, the global contract manufacturing sector still remains significantly under resourced with only a handful of players with experience and even less with the required regulatory accreditations. Piramal has been gradually expanding its internal teams and has nearly 150 ADC specialists across its global sites.

Vivek Sharma, CEO, Pharma Solutions, Piramal Enterprises, commented in a press statement, “The situation with ADCs mirrors what happened when monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) first started to commercialize. At present, very few CMOs have the facilities or, just as crucially, the experience to develop them. At the moment, there are only two CMOs, including ourselves, which are leading the charge in the commercial manufacturing of ADCs. Piramal is targeting winning at least one in every two commercial contracts coming to market over the next few years”.  

Piramal views the acquisition of Coldstream’s fill finish site earlier this year as the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle and is now bullish about its prospects in the market.

Research on ADCs shows that there will be at least 50 targets entering the clinical testing pipeline by 2020. Over the next few years, it is likely that there will be a wave of consolidations within the CDMO sector to acquire ADC technologies. 

Source: Piramal