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Kaneka Eurogentec to make COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Kaneka Eurogentec, an affiliate of Japan’s Kaneka based at Liège, Belgium, has signed an agreement to make the INO-4800 DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a US biotech, at commercial scale in its GMP facility. Financial terms were not disclosed.

INO-4800 uses plasmid DNA as a drug substance and has just received US FDA clearance to move to the second part of its Phase II-III clinical trials. These trials have financial support from the US Department of Defense.

Croda, Novasep part of key COVID vaccines

Both Croda International and Novasep are involved in some of the vaccines nearing approval for use in the treatment of COVID-19 it has emerged. This follows on from many other announcements of development agreements involving other fine chemical companies earlier in the year.

Lonza moves further into ADCs

Lonza has opened the first of two manufacturing suites at its main site in Visp, Switzerland, for the manufacture of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) linkers or payloads. This came shortly after an unrelated deal to manufacture antibodies to treat COVID-19 for AstraZeneca and the arrival of a new CEO with a Big Pharma background.

Ineos launches sanitiser business

Ineos used the occasion of the British Grand Prix on 1 August, where it was sponsoring the Mercedes team, to launch Ineos Hygienics, its new global healthcare business. This will be based at Newton Aycliffe, UK, and produce hospital grade hand gels, sanitiser sprays for hands and surfaces and sanitiser wipes out of the facilities the firm converted earliest this year here and in France, Germany and the US.

More CDMOs in COVID-19 deals

The ongoing race to develop the first effective vaccines for the treatment of COVID-19 continues to generate manufacturing and development agreements between pharmaceutical giants, biotechs and CDMOs.

Most recently, Sterling Pharma Solutions agreed to carry out final purification of drug product for Moleculin Biotech’s WP1122 drug candidate from its site in Cary, North Carolina. Moleculin is about to submit an IND for this to the FDA and wanted a reliable source of supply in the US.

Feature article – Six digital keys to recovery for the chemicals industry

Paige Marie Morse, industry director of chemicals at AspenTech, looks at how chemical companies can use digitalisation to navigate in uncertain times

The current pandemic has presented chemical producers over the world with a raft of complex challenges. Across the industry, companies are being tested for their agility in learning how to navigate huge shifts in demand, supply, workforce and economics, as well as of their operational resilience and how they plan to emerge in a stronger position.

Feature article - Three ways the chemicals & materials industry can benefit from digital transformation

Dr Nina Kaun, product director, chemical industry solutions, at Elsevier, looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could help to drive digitalisation

While many industries have taken advantage of technology developments in recent years, the chemicals and materials sector has been slower to digitalise. This attitude is now changing: 87% of chemicals and materials executives believe companies will ‘lose their edge’ or ‘face extinction’ unless they embrace digital transformation, including adopting more automation and applying artificial intelligence (AI) to some processes.

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