Contractor deals expand service offerings

Novasep, a producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients and purification technologies, has acquired Henogen, a contract manufacturing organization that provides bioprocess development and manufacturing services. The move adds complementary upstream processing capabilities to Novasep's downstream processing offerings.

Henogen brings experience with expression tools including E. coli, yeast, L. lactis, insect and mammalian cells as well as viral vectors. The deal makes Novasep a global CMO offering antibody-drug conjugates, covering early development through commercial production.

Also on the contracting front, Newark-based QPS, a provider of testing services to support preclinical and clinical research and development, has allied with Taiwan's Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB). The alliance offers preclinical through clinical drug development services.

In addition to the alliance, QPS is expanding its services into chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC), in vitro/in vivo toxicology, and pharmacology.

DCB is a non-profit organization supported primarily by Taiwanese government funding to advance its biotech industry and serve as a bridge between Taiwan and the rest of the world. The recently passed Taiwan Biotechnology Takeoff Package will aid in the expansion of DCB's services to cover process development and cGMP production of biopharmaceuticals.

- see the Novasep release
- here's the QPS announcement
- here's an article on the takeoff package